


A Different Path

by Ruumi



Category: Naruto
Genre: Gen, Good Uchiha Sasuke, Less Edgy Sasuke, Sasuke Never Leaves Konoha, Uchiha Sasuke-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-05
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-04-08 12:50:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 106,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19107439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruumi/pseuds/Ruumi
Summary: This story starts after the Land of Waves Arc. Sasuke's house gets struck by lightning and he's taken in by Kakashi. Sasuke softens up while under Kakashi's care, and they develop a closer bond, almost a big brother relationship. Kakashi has a greater influence on Sasuke because of this. Sasuke still hates Itachi and wants to take revenge on him, so it'll take some serious convincing for Sasuke to stay in Konoha. So combine Kakashi's influence on Sasuke, and Sasuke being able to talk about his experience with someone who's also lost a lot of loved ones and Sasuke isn't so willing to leave Konoha. See what happens in my story cause I'm not revealing too much in this summary.





	1. Lightningstruck!

Naruto: A Different Path

 

Lightning struck, it was a brilliant flash of white light, that struck like a vengeful god. Sasuke had always had a fascination of lightning. Lightning was powerful, fast, and wrathful, all things that Sasuke wished to become himself. But his fascination might end tonight because lightning struck the young Uchiha’s home while he was sound asleep, and it woke him abruptly. Sasuke rushed out of his bed and grabbed his prized picture of his family while trying to get out of the door, unfortunately for Sasuke the door started burning as the inferno spread to the rest of his house. Sasuke jumped and kicked his window out, and jumped through it running into the night. 

Sasuke didn’t know where to go, as he has no family left. The thought of going to Naruto’s place crossed his mind but he dismissed the thought as it came. He had too much pride to go to Naruto’s place, even after they both survived a fight against Haku. He still was an idiot, and he’s probably brag about it, “Guys, remember the time where I let Sasuke stay at my house because his house burned down? That was hilarious!” Sasuke imagined it and it made him cross Naruto off his mental checklist. Other than that he couldn’t imagine going to Sakura or Kakashi’s house. Sakura because she’d be weird about it, and Kakashi… is an enigma. Sasuke doesn’t know where he lives anyway, so he just finds a bench nearby and tries to rest.

________________________________________________________________  
Kakashi was taking a stroll nearby, because he couldn’t sleep well and because he smelled smoke nearby. He found a fire at Sasuke’s house and his house almost burnt to cinders. Kakashi made the appropriate handsigns and muttered Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet and the dragon clashed with Sasuke’s house. He doused the fire but it had done its damage, it ruined the foundations of Sasuke’s house and destabilized the house. It crumbled subsequently. 

Kakashi was concerned for the young Uchiha, he knew he had nowhere else to stay, and he searched the area and found Sasuke sleeping on a bench not far from his house. The first thing Kakashi noticed was the photo next to Sasuke, the ones in the photo was a younger, happier-looking Sasuke, Fugaku Uchiha, Mikoto Uchiha, and Itachi Uchiha. Kakashi whispered “Fugaku, Mikoto, I’ll look after him from now on."

Kakashi scooped Sasuke up and put him over his shoulder and started to walk home. When Sasuke awoke he the first thing he saw was Kakashi sitting on the couch opposite to him. 

_______________________________________________________________

Sasuke was surprised to be in Kakashi’s house. He took in his surroundings slowly gaining his bearings and asked “My house… did it burn completely?” Kakashi ran his hand through his silver hair, “Unfortunately it did, I tried to save it with a Water Jutsu, and I was able to put it out, but by the time I did the damage done made it collapse.” Kakashi spoke. 

Sasuke had one other option he could go to, the Uchiha Compound but that thought didn’t even cross his mind last night. The memories of that he has attached to that place is too much, and he doubts that he’d ever be able to go there, let alone sleep there again. 

Kakashi broke the silence “I know you don’t want to go back to the compound, so your only option really is to stay here. You can sleep on the couch. I won’t charge you, and you can stay till your house is rebuilt, which might take some time.” Sasuke thought about it, he could stay at Kakashi’s, and I can get him to train me at the same time. Living with a Jonin should have some benefits and he could get stronger out of it. Plus Kakashi had the Sharingan, so he could teach him how it works so he could advance it. “Alright Kakashi, I’ll stay here. But only until my house is rebuilt” Sasuke said. 

“Sounds good to me, also here’s your picture Sasuke” Kakashi said, as he threw the picture of Sasuke’s family at Sasuke. “Put it somewhere and don’t lose it, it’s probably the only picture you have left” Sasuke caught it and held on to it. 

It was the day now, so Sasuke went out into the village to try to collect his thoughts and his feelings about the situation. His house burned down, and he’s living with Kakashi now. Sasuke didn’t know what to think of the situation. Sasuke didn’t mind Kakashi, but he was sure mysterious. More mysterious than the dark brooding boy himself. He has a Sharingan but he’s not an Uchiha, Sasuke wanted to find out about that. 

Sasuke was disrupted from his chain of thoughts when from a distance he saw Naruto and Sakura in a small conflict with what looked like some Suna ninja. The Suna ninja with the facepaint was grabbing a kid from the village that Sasuke didn’t particularly know. Sasuke grabbed a couple of rocks and put his chakra into his feet and climbed up a tree. Soon as it looked like the Suna Ninja with the face paint was about to hit the kid Sasuke threw a rock precisely and hit his hand. 

“Get lost” Sasuke said lowly while crushing the remaining rock in his hands. The Suna Ninja exclaimed “Hey, come down here you little punk! You’re just the kind of know-it-all idiots I hate.” The sand ninja started to undo some of the bandages on his back, to reveal something that looked like a mummy with brown plumes of hair at the top. The girl behind him yelled “ Wait, you aren’t thinking about using Crow are you?” while he continued to stand there. 

Crow huh? Wonder what that is, Sasuke thinks. “Kankuro, stop that. You’re an embarrassment to our village” a low voice says from behind me, barely audible. That guy managed to creep up on me? That’s Kakashi level sneakiness. Kankuro looks deadpan “G-gaara” he muttered. “Losing yourself in a fight? How pathetic” Gaara muttered. “L-listen, they started it-” Kankuro began. 

“Shut up, or I’ll kill you” Gaara said darkly. Kill his own teammate? That’s pretty dark. “I’m really sorry” the Kankuro guy said, looking very nervous. He’s able to scare his own teammate like that and they take him very seriously, he seems to be the leader. Gaara teleports to his teammates in a flurry of sand. “We didn’t come here to play around, thought it seemed that we arrived too early.” Gaara says lowly. 

Sakura speaks up and says “According to your headbands, you guys are foreign ninja, even if you guys are allies, we might not be able to let you pass through the village freely. Explain yourselves!” Why would Sakura bother those guys, she just saw how the red-haired one was able to sneak up on me, obviously, he’s strong. But then again, the presence of mysterious intruders is strange. 

“Did you not know the Chunin Exams are being held in Konoha this year? Talk about clueless...” The blonde haired girl says. Heh, Chunin Exams eh? Wonder if we’re taking part of it. If I’m able to fight strong guys and get even stronger I’m up for it. Anything to take down Itachi. 

Sasuke jumped down from the tree quickly and asks “What’s your name?” to Gaara. The blonde haired girl gets flustered and asks “Who me?” Sasuke always hated when girls got like that around him, he wasn’t concerned with girls at the moment, his sole purpose right now was to gain strength. “No, I’m talking to the one with the gourd” Sasuke said. 

“I’m Sabaku no Gaara, I was also interested in your name” Gaara says while turning towards Sasuke. “My name’s Sasuke Uchiha” Sasuke says looking smug. “Hey, what about me huh?!” Naruto interjects. “Not interested, let’s go” Gaara says as his team leaves. 

This is getting very interesting. I hope Kakashi signed us up for the Chunin Exams but knowing him, he probably was late to registration. Sasuke started to go back to Kakashi’s place and then he decides to go see his house, as he hasn’t seen it since the night it burned. It had indeed collapsed, and Sasuke wondered if the Hokage had gotten anyone to start working on it yet. He decided to walk over to Sandaime’s office. 

Sasuke knocked slowly outside of Sandaime’s door and Sandaime told him to come in. “Hokage-sama, my home burned down last night and I need it fixed as soon as you can,” Sasuke says. The old Kage groaned and said, “How’d it happen?” Sasuke told him how his house was struck by lightning and it caught on fire. 

“Where are you staying now? Hopefully, not on the streets, we can’t have a Shinobi sleeping on the streets can we?” Sandaime said. “Kakashi has taken me in, and let me stay with him until the house rebuilt,” Sasuke responded. Sandaime smiled “That must be some experience, I’ll get some contractors on the rebuilding of your home.” Sasuke thanked the Kage and left. 

Sasuke went back to Kakashi’s place to find that Kakashi had bought him some more of his signature outfit, his blue shirt, and shorts. “All your clothes are burnt besides the ones you have on right? Thought you’d want some more clothes.” Kakashi says. “Thanks, Kakashi” Kakashi went to give him the clothes but then decided to yank them back. Sasuke looked confused and Kakashi laughed. “When are you going to start calling me Kakashi-Sensei as the others do?” Sasuke replied “Never” and Kakashi frowned then a slight glint came to his eye. “Not even if I teach you about how to use the Sharingan better?”


	2. Chunin Exams Begin!

Naruto: A Different Path

 

**Recap**

“ _When are you going to start calling me Kakashi-Sensei as the others do?” Sasuke replied “Never” and Kakashi frowned then a slight glint came to his eye. “Not even if I teach you about how to use the Sharingan better?”_

______________________________________________________________

Sasuke broke his usual too cool for school composure for a moment. “Teach me how to use the Sharingan?” Sasuke repeated. “Yes, I can teach you how to use your Sharingan better than you already can, much better.” This proposition shook Sasuke, Kakashi is an elite Jonin with the Sharingan, and he’s had it much longer than Sasuke has unlocked his Sharingan. Sasuke also didn’t forget Kakashi’s performance against Zabuza, showing off his copy jutsu, and I doubt that’s all he has in his arsenal.

 

“Fine, but only after you teach me something concrete, that I can use on enemies, not just concepts.” Sasuke says. This way, he has to teach me something that will get me stronger, so I can fight Itachi, who already has mastered his Sharingan.”

 

Kakashi had gotten himself caught up, if Sasuke wanted to learn something concrete, it would take some time even for a prodigious talent like Sasuke. Kakashi decided he would teach him the basis of the Sharingan tonight. “Alright, I’ll teach you something concrete, but you will have to learn the concepts first, we can go over that now.” Kakashi says. Sasuke smirked, “Fine, the faster the better, the Chunin Exams are coming up soon anyway. I hope you signed us up, there’s some people I want to fight there” Sasuke says with a smirk, thinking of Gaara. Kakashi had wondered how Sasuke knew about the exams, but he saw no point in hiding it anymore. “Don’t tell the others yet, but I did sign you guys up, but I can’t tell you anything else” Kakashi replied.

 

“Let’s begin Sasuke. There’s two abilities that the Sharingan grant. The Eye of Insight, and the Eye of Hypnotism. The eye of Insight allows the user to see Chakra, also giving them clarity of perception and the abilities to read lips, mimic movements, and it allows for predictive abilities. This allows you to be able to perceive enemies movements before they even move. This ability also allows a Sharingan user to copy Ninjutsu, Genjutsu or Taijutsu with near perfect accuracy, which is how I gained my moniker Copy Ninja Kakashi. If there’s a fight and you aren’t participating you should activate your Sharingan because you can learn from it.” Kakashi lectured.

 

Sasuke had begun to understand what Kakashi was saying to him. And he realized this is how Kakashi had been able to copy Zabuza’s Water Dragon Bullet. “So you have a good handle on the Eye of Insight don’t you Kakashi?” Sasuke says. “Yes I do, but I’m by no means a master.” Kakashi replied. “So you can just copy any jutsu you see, it can’t be that easy?” Sasuke asks.

 

“Come outside, there’s a training ground nearby. I want to show you something” Kakashi says gesturing to the training ground not too far from Kakashi’s place. Kakashi simply made a handsign and disappeared. Sasuke took to the rooftops and got there to see Kakashi already in a tree. “So I’ll throw a jutsu at you that you don’t know, activate your Sharingan, and we’ll see if you can copy it.” Kakashi says while jumping down from the tree.

 

Sasuke put some chakra behind his eyes, dying his vision red. He activated his Sharingan with a smirk, he’d always liked using it sense he unlocked it. “Alright, I’ll send a Fire Jutsu, since you’re already familiar with the element. You can’t mimic a jutsu if you don’t know the nature transformation, and I know that you’re already familiar with Fire.” Kakashi says while making quick handsigns.

 

“ _Rat, Tiger, Dog, Ox, Rabbit, Tiger, Monkey”_ Sasuke made note of the handsigns with his Sharingan. “Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson” Kakashi exclaimed while releasing a volley of Shuriken while simultaneously infusing them with fire. Sasuke dodged and the fire went into the trees behind them. “Did you make sure you observed the handsigns with your Sharingan? That’s the first step. You also need to make sure you have the chakra reserves to do jutsu you want to mimic, but I know you have large reserves so it’s not a problem.” Sasuke smirked “Those Shuriken were mighty fast, one might get the wrong idea Kakashi” Kakashi didn’t seem bothered “Even Naruto could’ve dodged them, don’t complain” Kakashi responded.  


“Whatever, how do I do this now?” Sasuke asks whilst losing his smirk. He obviously didn’t like being compared to Naruto. “So if you took notice of the signs and you observed the jutsu with your Sharingan you should be able to copy it. Just do the handsigns and put the right amount of chakra into it.”Kakashi responded.

 

Sasuke’s Sharingan instinctively remembered the signs and he performed them as he knew them all his life. “ _Rat, Tiger, Dog, Ox, Rabbit, Tiger, Monkey”_ Sasuke made the proper handsigns and reached into his shuriken pouch“Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson” Sasuke says while infusing fire into the shuriken and they flew in Kakashi’s direction who dodged them with grace.

 

“See, not so hard is it? Remember though, you cannot copy Kekkei Genkai like Haku’s Crystal Ice Mirrors. Those jutsu are passed down through bloodlines and you can’t copy them because you need a genetic component to be able to use them. Sasuke was glad to be learning about his Sharingan, more than he had let on to Kakashi. He was too young to learn about the Sharingan from his clan and he wanted to be able to use his Sharingan to its full capabilities. Because if Itachi can, Sasuke would need to learn if he’d ever want to be able to face him. He appreciated Kakashi for teaching him how to copy ninjutsu, it’s a good skill to know, and he’s learning it from someone who’s renown for their Sharingan despite not being an Uchiha.

“Thank you… Kakashi, for everything” Sasuke said, barely audible. “You’re welcome Sasuke, I couldn’t let my prized student live on the streets, Although if it were Naruto… I don’t know if I could live with him” Kakashi joked. Kakashi noticed he still wasn’t calling him Sensei, but he figured Sasuke would do things on his own time. He was just surprised Sasuke thanked him.

 

“You should go back to my place and catch some Z’s, it’s going to be a long day tomorrow seeing that the Chunin Exam will begin tomorrow.” Kakashi says. Tomorrow was sooner than Sasuke had thought, he didn’t even have time to train. But at least he picked up a new jutsu today and the knowledge of the Sharingan’s copying abilities. Sasuke didn’t realize that night had fallen, the village had was quiet, not as bustling as usual. “Alright, see you later I guess” Sasuke muttered while walking back. Soon as he got back and his head had hit the pillow he’d fallen asleep.

 

Once Sasuke awoke, he realized that Kakashi left a note. “Yo, I want you guys to meet up at the bridge. I already told the others. It’s about the Chunin Exams” Sasuke smirked once he saw it and he got dressed and went to the location. Naruto and Sakura were already there, and bickering about not having enough time to get ready. Sasuke and the rest of Team 7 waited for about 20 minutes and Kakashi showed up.

 

“Why are you always late?” Naruto asks and Kakashi just replies with his usual banter. “Oh, I was helping out an old lady” Kakashi smirks as he says this. “This is sudden but, I nominated the 3 of you for the Chunin Exams” and soon as he says it Naruto forgets all about Kakashi being late. “What an idiot” Sasuke thinks to himself. “It’s just a nomination, whether you take the exams are up to you” Kakashi continues. He then gives us the details of where we need to go.

Team Seven arrives at the area to take the Chunin Exams the next day. Once they get inside Sasuke notices a kid with a green jumpsuit on getting pummeled by 2 older looking kids. “You plan to take the Chunin Exams while you're this weak? You’ll never make it, you’re just a little kid” The girl that is next to the guy with the green jumpsuit says “Please just let us through” and the older kid hits her, and this makes the crowd surrounding them react.

 

Sasuke recognizes that this is a genjutsu because Team 7 just came up from the first floor, so this must only be the second. Sasuke steps forward and says smugly “You will let me through, and you’ll remove the genjutsu surrounding this floor. Because I’m going to the third floor, and this is only the second” Sasuke steps forward to confront the kids blocking his path.

 

The kid with the bandages says “So you noticed? But all you did was see through the genjutsu” he says this as he aims a kick at Sasuke and Sasuke smirks activating his Sharingan doing the same. Sasuke activates his Sharingan due to Kakashi’s tutelage on the Eye of Insight and how it offers advanced perception in battle. The one in the green who was just being pummeled jumped in between both of them and blocked their kicks by putting chakra to his hands.

 

Sasuke takes note of him being able to block his kick and he noticed the chakra surrounding his hands with his Sharingan. He’s impressed with the feat. What seemed to be his teammate stepped forward “What happened to staying under the radar and not showing off our abilities?”The one with the pale lavender eyes spoke. His other teammates shook their heads.

 

The who’d blocked Sasuke’s kicked walked over to Sakura and said “My name is Rock Lee, yours is Sakura correct? Let’s go out, I’ll protect you until I die” Rock Lee made a thumbs up and smiled and Sasuke almost gagged. The kid with the pale lavender eyes came up to Sasuke “What’s your name” he says. Sasuke smirked and replied “You should tell me your name before asking for mine, its only common courtesy” Sasuke began to walk away, and Rock Lee yelled “Hey, you’re Sasuke Uchiha right? I saw your Sharingan when you skirmished earlier” Sasuke replied “Yeah, what about it”

“Will you fight me, right here?”

 

_Authors Note_

_I’m skipping the Sasuke’s fight with Rock Lee because I don’t think anything would change, Sasuke would still lose, and he’ll still use his Sharingan and see Lee’s moves as per canon. I don’t want to overwhelm y’all with fights y’all already seen._

 

Sasuke doesn’t take his defeat not too bad. He’s upset he lost to weirdo's like Lee but, he’s glad he was able to see his Taijutsu with his Sharingan. When Team 7 tries to enter the test they see Kakashi. He explains to them that if they would’ve come alone their exam would’ve ended there and that he was proud that they all came together. Sasuke walks into the exam with his team and sees a room full of people and before Sasuke can get his bearings Ino jumps on him.

 

“Sasuke I haven’t seen you for so long and I’ve been waiting in excitement” Ino says.“Get away from Sasuke, Ino Pig” Sakura yells and Ino gets off of Sasuke. Sasuke didn’t mind Sakura, but Ino was annoying because she got _physical_ with him. “All the rookies are back together again, I wonder how far they’ll get eh Sasuke?” Kiba says looking confident. “You seem confident Kiba, I hope I can be the one to knock you down a few pegs” Sasuke says smugly.

 

“You guys are such rookies, fresh out the academy it seems. That’s why you’re yelling like schoolgirls. This isn’t a picnic.” The silver-haired kid says, walking towards their group. “Who do you think you are?” Sakura asks, and he simply smirks and says “I’m Kabuto, but that doesn’t matter, look behind you” Kabuto gestured to all of the ninjas behind them. The ninja behind them seemed to be leaking bloodlust due to the rookies being annoying. “You’re Kabuto, right? What is this your second time?” Sakura asks.

 

“Nope this is my seventh time” Kabuto says simply. Sasuke wonders why they are even listening to someone who’s taken the exam seven times. It must mean the exam is either extremely hard, or he merely isn’t a good ninja. But instead of speaking his mind he just decides to observe instead of possibly offending him. Kabuto begins to tell the group about his ninja info cards and that’s what begins to pique Sasuke’s interest. He could find info on Gaara and Lee, it would be useful if he had to fight them later on.

 

“Do you have cards with information on people?” Sasuke asks. “Yes, why are you concerned about anyone in particular. My information isn’t perfect, but I do have it.” Sasuke smirks “I wouldn’t say concerned, but some people piqued my interest. Look up Sabaku no Gaara, and Rock Lee.” “You already know their names, huh, that makes it much easier. Kabuto swipes and takes out both of their cards and reads the information to Sasuke and their team.

 

Gaara’s pretty much unknown, and it piques Sasuke’s interest to hear that he’s never been injured on a mission not even once. Gaara would have to be inhuman or something. Sasuke was surprised to see that Rock Lee can’t perform Ninjutsu nor Genjutsu, but it does explain why his Taijutsu is so good, it’s the only thing he has. Kabuto goes on about the villages and how the Otogakure is an unknown village and there isn’t a lot known about their Shinobi.

 

Once Kabuto says that Sasuke noticed that the Oto ninja began to move. Naruto then shouts “I’m not going to lose to any of you bastards, I’m Naruto Uzumaki!” then everyone looks like they want to kill the guy and Sasuke chuckles internally. He’s going to paint a target on his, and our backs if he keeps that up. But I do agree with him, I don’t want to lose to anyone else either.

 

The Oto ninja began to move quickly, and they start jumping towards Kabuto from the crowd of people. The male with the longer hair throws knives at Kabuto and heeding Kakashi’s advice he activated his Sharingan so he can fully watch the fight that’s sure to break out. Kabuto dodges the knives and the Oto ninja that has bandages wrapped around him quickly approaches Kabuto and makes a handsign. He then went to strike Kabuto, and Kabuto dodged the physical attack, but Sasuke noticed he failed to realize that the ninja also attacked with sound. The attack came from the device on the Oto ninja’s arm.

 

Kabuto’s glasses broke when it appeared that he clearly dodged his attack, but that’s how it appeared to the others. Sasuke saw his true attack which was with the device on his arm. The others were confused when Kabuto dropped to the ground and threw up. “I see, he must’ve damaged his eardrum with the sound attack” Sasuke said, thinking out loud. The others were all surprised to see that Sasuke had his Sharingan activated and that he’d explained the attack.

 

“That would make sense, Kabuto must’ve dodged the physical attack, but he couldn’t defend himself from the sound attack, good thinking Sasuke” Sakura explains. “Just because you revealed my attack, doesn’t mean you can stop it. But don’t think you can just reveal my attack and get away with it” The Suna ninja threatened, walking towards Sasuke. Sasuke just smirked and got into a fighting stance.

 

“Quiet down you bastards” Rang out a deep voice. With a poof, multiple chunin popped into the room with a man in a black trench coat leading them. Thanks for waiting, I’m Ibiki Morino, the examiner for the Chunin Exams first test.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and an extra thanks to the folks who Kudos'd me and interact with my content. It warms my heart y'all. 
> 
> Always,   
> \----Ruumi


	3. Second Stage of the Chunin Exams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all new chappy. This one's a bit longer than the others, in fact, it's twice as long. I had a lot of ideas, so I just kept writing. Let me know if y'all like longer chapters that take longer to write or quick updates which are my usual size chapters. Either way, thanks for reading!
> 
> Always,  
> \----Ruumi

  
Naruto: A Different Path  
Recap  
“Quiet down you bastards” Rang out a deep voice. With a poof, multiple chunin popped into the room with a man in a black trench coat leading them. Thanks for waiting, I’m Ibiki Morino, the examiner for the Chunin Exams first test.  
_______________________________________________________  
Ibiki pointed to the ninja from the Sound Village “Sound ninjas don’t do as you please before the exam even starts, unless you want to fail right now?” The Sound ninja wrapped in bandages replied “This is our first time, we got carried away… sorry.” Ibiki seemed to dismiss them and said “Well I guess this is a good time to say, but there’s no fighting without the permission of an examiner. The pigs that disobey will be failed immediately, you hear me!” Ibiki spoke up daring anyone to disobey him.

“Now we’ll start the first examination. Instead of your current seating, you are going to take a number and sit we assign. Then we will hand out the exams.” Ibiki says sternly. Sasuke’s surprised that the first exam is written but he’s confident in his abilities. Sasuke can see Naruto freaking out “Huh, a written exam?!” exclaims Naruto visibly upset.

“The rules are, you guys all start off with 10 points, and we’re using a subtraction system. If you answer all your question correctly you keep your 10 points but if you answer incorrectly on 3 questions you lose 3 points and will be down to 7. Secondly, this is a team test, and whether you pass or fail depends on the combined points of your team” Ibiki lectures. Sasuke can handle a written test, and he and Sakura should probably be able to carry Naruto through this round.

“If anyone is caught cheating it deducts 2 points from your team’s total. People who lose all of their points will be asked to leave during the exam, as there’s no point in staying if you’ve lost.” One of the Chunin spoke up “We’ll have our eyes on you guys” and Sasuke took note that he looked just like one of the guys he fought with in the beginning. He realized the Chunin must’ve Henge’d into younger versions of themselves.

“The final rule is that those who lose all their points during the test and don’t answer any questions correctly will be failed along with their two teammates.” Ibiki said breaking Sasuke out of his train of thought. If Naruto screws up, we’ll fail right along with him. He has to come through for us because we can’t even carry him anymore.

“The test will last for one hour. You may begin” Ibiki says

Sasuke immediately glances over to Naruto and noticed that he’s already panicking. Sasuke looks at his test thinking that it can’t be that hard, but the questions are almost impossible. Cryptograms, and advanced question beyond any Genin’s scope. He doubts that anyone but Sakura would be able to answer these questions, let alone Naruto.

Sasuke then began to think about what Ibiki said earlier, that if you cheat you lose 2 points only. That unlike any other test that Sasuke has ever taken. Usually when you cheat you fail automatically, but this system almost encourages it. It does, the whole point is to cheat without being caught. Sasuke smirks and hopes the rest of his team figures it out, especially Naruto. But Naruto isn’t subtle at all, if he cheats he’s going to be obvious. Sasuke shakes himself out of his train of thoughts, he needs to focus on himself right now.

Sasuke picks up his pencil and noticed one of the examiners marking someone off, they must’ve gotten caught. Sasuke scanned the room to find someone to cheat off, someone who’s answering questions faster and more confident than everyone else. He found a guy with black hair, who seemed to be writing fast and confidently. He remembered how Kakashi said that the Sharingan allows the user to mimic things, specifically movements.

Sasuke activates his Sharingan dyeing is vision red, he focuses on the black haired man in front of him and his hand movements. Sasuke is accurately able to copy his writing and answers the questions. Sasuke then noticed question 10, and that he had to wait until 45 minutes had past.

The time had flown past, and Ibiki walked to the front of the room. “I will now explain the 10th question. For the 10th question, you must decide whether or not you’ll take it.” Ibiki started. Sasuke’s face formed a frown. “Decide whether or not you’ll take it” Sasuke repeated in his mind. What could that even mean, of course, everyone would take it… unless there’s some catch.”

“If you choose not to take it… your points are reduced to zero. you’ll fail, along with your teammates! The other rule, if you decide to take it and you fail, you can never take the Chunin Exams again.” Ibiki said seriously. Sasuke didn’t have any doubts that he’d choose to take it. He wanted to fight strong guys, and he couldn’t get any stronger if he backed down from a simple test. “That’s bullshit! There are people who’ve taken this test multiple times” Kiba interjects. Ibiki simply smiles “You guys were unlucky, this year it’s my rules. But I am giving you an out, if you aren’t confident you can simply quit and take it the next time.” he says.

“Now let’s begin the 10th question. Those who wish to not take it, raise your hand. Once your number is confirmed you can leave” Ibiki says. Sasuke noticed multiple people raising their hands and getting failed, and he glanced over to his own teammates and noticed none of them raising their hand. But then, Naruto began to raise his hand. Sasuke hoped that Naruto wouldn’t be an idiot and quit, he’d always talked big and Sasuke would be damned if Naruto denied him the chance to continue in his exams.

All of Sasuke’s worries were wiped away when Naruto slammed his hand on the desk and exclaimed “Don’t underestimate me, I will not run. If I’m to become the Hokage, I can’t quit.”

“I’ll ask you again this is your last chance to quit, your life is riding on this decision.” Ibiki says seriously.

“I follow my unbending words, that’s my ninja way.”

Sasuke smirked, he doesn’t even know why he was concerned about Naruto anyways. That guy is stubborn as a mule and he didn’t even think about the rest of his team. Ibiki smiled “Good decision, to everyone still here. You pass.” “What about the tenth question, Proctor?” Sasuke asks. “There was never a such thing, the choice to take the 10th question was the 10th question. The other questions were all about your ability to gather information, hence why we gave you all questions that even Chunin would struggle with, so you would be forced to cheat – but without being caught. That’s because Chunin are often tasked with handling important documents and the transfer of information.” Ibiki started.

“Because sometimes, information is more important than life” Ibiki continued while taking off his hat revealing horrible burns, screw holes and scars. Sasuke came to the conclusion that Ibiki must’ve been tortured for information, or Konoha secrets. Rather than giving up the information, he was tortured. He must work in T&I seeing on how good he was at interrogating and applying pressure on a person’s psyche. Sasuke promised himself he wouldn’t let himself be caught by the enemy alive. Primarily because he has the Sharingan, and it would be horrible if it fell into enemy hands.

“You’ve made it through the first section of the Chunin Exams, I wish you all luck on the remaining portions of the exam.” Ibiki said with a smile. It was weird to see someone like Ibiki smiling for Sasuke, but it shows that even the toughest guys are still human. Someone crashed through the window, and in a black flurry and a couple of Kunai, a banner was up near Ibiki with a purple haired woman in front of it. “What an entrance.” Sasuke said making a couple of people laugh.

“Now’s no time to be laughing and joking. I’m Anko Mitarashi, the examiner for the second portion of the Chunin Exams. Ibiki you still left 26 teams? Have you gone soft” Anko said. “It’s an exceptional bunch this time” Ibiki joked. “Bah, it's fine. I’ll cut their numbers by half anyways”

By half? How strenuous could this exam be? “Follow me, I’m getting excited. We can’t start though until we change locations. Sasuke and the rest of the Chunin hopefuls followed Anko until they arrived at a training ground that was surrounded by a fence. The fence had a sign that read “Caution, stay out!” on it. Anko turned to face the genin, and smiled wickedly “Welcome to the stage for the second test, also known as The Forest of Death” Anko says grimly. Forest of Death eh? So are we actually going have any combat?

“T-This is so creepy” Sakura shudders. “You’ll soon find out why it’s called the Forest of Death” Anko says. Guess she heard Sakura. Naruto mocks her and says “You’ll soon find out while it called the Forest of Death. Does she think that’ll scare me?” Anko just smiles and pulls out a Kunai. Sasuke just watches as Anko cuts Naruto’s cheek. “Kids like you always die first, and spill that blood that I love.” She says as she licks the blood from the wound on Naruto’s cheek. A grass ninja quickly moved to Anko and she drew a Kunai, and he used his tongue to hand her a Kunai. Sasuke was weirded out, why was that guy’s tongue so long?

“Don’t sneak up on me like that, unless you want to die” Anko says with a fake smile. Anko goes to grab some papers and comes back “Before we start the test I need you all to sign these release forms. There will be deaths in this one, and if you don’t sign it, I’d be liable. You can go sign but only after I explain the test” Anko says. “So there is going to be combat in this one?” Sasuke replies.

“Yes but it’s not all about combat. You guys are going to take the ultimate survival test.” Anko replies, pulling out a map which Sasuke assumes is of the Forest of Death. “There are 44 gates, a forest, and a tower in the middle. The point of this test is to make it to the tower in the middle while with your scroll. There are two scrolls, a heaven, and an earth scroll. You’ll each be tasked with protecting your scroll and obtaining the opposite scroll. Once you get both you must go to the tower in the middle” Anko explains. “There’s a time limit of 5 days. You are disqualified if your team doesn’t make it to the tower with both scrolls in 5 days. Also if any of your teammates die, as you can only win with your entire team present.” Anko continues.

Sasuke hopes that he won’t have to babysit Sakura during the whole time. He knew Naruto could handle himself, but he isn’t so sure in Sakura’s ability. “One last rule, you cannot look inside of the scrolls until you make it to the tower.” Anko continues. “What happens if you do?” Naruto says, asking the same question Sasuke was going to if he didn’t. “That’ll be a surprise for the contestants. Chunin are trusted to handle sensitive documents, so we’re testing your worthiness of that role.” Anko answers. So it seems that they’ve thought of everything. Sasuke wonders what the third stage will be but he pushes the thought out of his head, he had to get past this stage first.  
“That’s it for my explanation, complete the form, go get your scroll and choose a gate to enter. A word of advice… don’t die” Anko says seriously and Sasuke smirks. He wouldn’t die until he was able to accomplish his goal of killing Itachi. Sasuke went to go fill out his forms. He had been given an earth scroll at registration.

_______________________________________________________________  
Dosu had just finished doing his paperwork with his team. He wanted to discuss strategy now before they entered their gate. He turned to his team of Zaku and Kin. “We’re going to focus on our energy on finding Sasuke as quick as we can. Not only because it’s the mission that Orochimaru gave us, but because he revealed my techniques earlier. I want to see if he’s as smug as he was earlier when he’s getting a taste of my jutsu.” Dosu said confidently.

Kin smiles “I want to play with the pink haired brat on his team as well, to show her what a real Kunoichi is.” Zaku laughs “You like playing with your toys till they break so for her sake, I hope she gives you a good fight or she’ll die a painful death. But you guys are all going to have your fun, so I guess I can fight the blonde haired boy on their team, think his name was Naruto right? He’s a nobody, but he barks a lot, let’s see if he bites.”

Anko checks her watch and realizes it’s time “The second test of the Chunin Exam now begins!” She says. The Oto Ninja move out a singular thought on their mind “Let’s get those brats”

_________________________________________________________________

Sasuke hears a scream off in the distance and he realizes that the real exam has just begun. He and his team run for a while until he finds a suitable spot near a big tree. “I gotta pee” Naruto says, starting to undo his pants. “Not right here you idiot. Go to a bush nearby” Sakura yells. Naruto complies and he comes back three minutes later. Sasuke examines him and quickly notices that the cut Naruto had from Anko is gone. A henge… Sasuke thinks immediately. Sasuke quickly runs up and kicks the fake Naruto. “Where’s the real Naruto?” Sasuke exclaims.

The fake Naruto wipes the blood off his face and the Henge disperses revealing a ninja from the Village Hidden in the rain. “Guess you figured it out eh? Which one of you has the scroll?” the ninja asks, but he’s only met with silence. “Guess I’ll just take it by force.” The Ame ninja says. Sasuke pounced, making the appropriate handsigns and activating his Sharingan he yells “Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Nail Crimson” after he does this he reaches in his Shuriken pouch and unleashes a volley of shuriken while exhaling fire-infused chakra into them.

The Ame ninja quickly dodges and Sasuke becomes a blur, dashing at the enemy ninja and clashing midair with both of their Kunai. Sasuke lands on a nearby tree branch and sees Naruto tied up next to the tree “Sasuke!” he yells. He responds by throwing his Kunai at the side of the rope’s he’s tied up to releasing him. The enemy ninja takes the opportunity to throw his Kunai to the branch Sasuke’s on and Sasuke quickly swings down, grabbing the branch, he barely realized the explosive tag mixed in with the enemies weapons and they explode. Throwing the young Uchiha back, and the enemy ninja doesn’t miss this opportunity, quickly and skillfully getting behind him “Give me your scroll, if you move you’ll die” He demands. Sasuke only smirks as Naruto throws a Kunai at the enemy ninja, he dodges and Sasuke moves his chakra to the bottom of his feet catching the Kunai, he then threw it at the enemy.

While the Kunai is in midair Sasuke makes a handsign and uses the basis of his Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Nail Crimson, by breathing fire-infused chakra into his Kunai, igniting it. He then quickly dashes to his Kunai and grabs the handle which isn’t burning shoving into his enemies shoulder dragging it upwards which inflicts a deep wound to the Ame ninja, probably eliminating the use of that arm for a while and splattering blood across Sasuke's face. Sasuke noticed Sakura flinching and took note “Harden your heart, this is real combat and people could die. This is rough but I’m protecting myself.” Sasuke says roughly. Sakura did need to hear this, but Sasuke was still felt slightly bad.

The Ame ninja quickly retreated, Sasuke did not choose to give chase. A few hours past and Sasuke decided that they needed a code word, just in case someone tries to transform into one of his teammates. Sasuke creates a code word and tells his team.

“I don’t really care about your code word, I’m not going to hide the fact that I’m here to kick your asses.” Zaku says confidently, walking in front with Dosu and Kin behind him. Naruto and Sasuke stepped up and simultaneously said “I’ll fight you” meanwhile Dosu came from beside Zaku and stepped up “No Sasuke, you’ll be fighting me, my friends will be fighting the rest of your pathetic team.” Dosu said.

Sasuke smirked “My team isn’t pathetic, and if you want me come get me” he said while he activated his Kekkei Genkai. Dosu replied by simply pulling back his sleeve revealing his gauntlet and Sasuke was instantly on his toes. It was what he used to bring down Kabuto, but Sasuke knew how it worked. Sasuke dashed to and tried to land a kick on his neck, Dosu grabbed Sasuke's’ leg and Sasuke tried to kick with the other. Dosu grabbed the other and Sasuke spun his upper body, gaining momentum and freeing his legs, and he immediately pulled out 5 Shuriken and threw them accurately at Dosu. Dosu simple intercepted them with his gauntlet and it made an extremely loud noise that made Sasuke instinctively bring his hands to his ears to try to suppress the noise. Dosu didn’t waste time exploiting Sasuke’s disorientation and he kneed him in the gut while Sasuke was still recovering.

“If you strike my gauntlet it makes an even louder noise, and here you thought you knew everything about my jutsu” Dosu mocked. Sasuke was reeling but regained his composure. If you strike his gauntlet it becomes even louder? It must be like an amplifier or a speaker. Sasuke smirked as he realized that he needed to avoid hitting the gauntlet and try to get rid of the speaker.

Sasuke smirked and took out more Shuriken from his pouch, but this time he attached wire strings to them. He threw them, and missed, only nearly hitting Dosu. “You really are pathetic huh? I told you, it would only amplify my vibrations if you tried to hit my gauntlet, and you still tried.” Dosu says cockily while running towards Sasuke making a handsign, just as he’d done against Kabuto. Sasuke didn’t waste time in manipulating his threads attached to the nearby shuriken so that they struck Dosu from behind, the Shuriken found their mark in Dosu’s back, catching him off guard.

Sasuke blinked out of Dosu’s sight appearing behind him and gave him a swift chop to the neck, knocking him out. Sasuke took Dosu’s sound amplifying gauntlet and put it in his bag. “Without this, you won’t be able to use your jutsu” Sasuke said confidently.

Sasuke noticed how his other teammates were doing in their battles. Naruto was holding his own, making Shadow Clones to fight Zaku. Their match was pretty even, but Naruto and his clones were getting pushed around by Zaku’s airwaves. Sasuke picked up on the chakra that was coming out of the holes on Zaku’s hands and he yelled over to Naruto “His technique is coming out of the hole on his hands!” Naruto yelled back “Thanks, go help Sakura. I’m fine!”

Sasuke ran over to Sakura to see her getting pummeled by Kin. Sakura had been getting by on mere Clone Jutsu’s during this fight, and Kin has begun to notice that her clones don’t have shadows, therefore, targeting the real Sakura. Sasuke ran over to Sakura quickly and he threw a couple of Kunai at her and Kin, skillfully with her Senbon, collided with the Kunai and made them miss her. Sasuke just walked over to her and gestured over to the defeated Dosu and Naruto who’d just created 100 clones and beat Zaku to a pulp. “You can’t beat us, you might as well just give us your scrolls and leave.” Sasuke said with his Sharingan blazing, trying to intimidate her.

Naruto also walked over and cracked his knuckles. Kin frowned “Alright, we’ll retreat for now. Our scroll is on Zaku, the one the blonde-haired kid just beat up. Naruto went to retrieve it and was delighted to see that it was a heaven scroll – just the one they needed. “Alright, that was exactly the one we needed. Now we can go to the tower and pass the test!” Naruto exclaimed. Sasuke smirked and inwardly was happy they found the scroll so early on.

“We’ll get you back, so watch your backs” Kin said, grabbing her teammates and leaving. “And when you do we’ll kick your asses again!” Naruto yelled. After she left Sakura walked over and hugged Sasuke “Thank you for saving me, I don’t know what I would’ve done without you” she said. Sasuke shrugged her off him after a couple seconds. “You need to train… Sakura. If I hadn’t been able to come you could’ve been hurt badly. You have to learn how to protect yourself, me or Naruto won’t always be there.” Sasuke said seriously. He didn’t mean this to hurt Sakura’s feelings, but it was the truth, the Shinobi world is cold, people won’t hesitate to maim or kill.

“Either way, we have to make our way towards the tower. The sooner we can get out of this place the better” Sasuke said. Team Seven started to get moving for the tower. Orochimaru, disguised as a Grass ninja was tracking the team because he wanted to fight Sasuke, but he also wanted him to regain his energy to make for a better fight. Orochimaru knew that after a couple of fights they wouldn’t be able to make it to the tower so easily, they would have to rest, then he’d strike.

Team 7 began to set up camp for the night, they realized they wouldn’t be able to get there in one go and they had some injuries. Sasuke’s ears were still ringing from the fight with Dosu, and Sakura was bruised and bloodied from her fight with Kin. “Sakura, set up some traps around our general premise before we go to sleep.” Sasuke said. Sakura replied “No problem”, she was happy that she could be useful to the team for once. Sakura began to set up the traps. Naruto put his hands behind his head “We totally kicked those guy’s butts back there.” he said while smirking. “Hn” Sasuke replied, finding a comfortable spot to rest.

In the morning when they awoke, their team was pretty well rested. Sasuke’s ears were much better, but Sakura still had her injuries. Before they even had times to collect their thoughts though, a gust of wind hit their team, separating Naruto from the rest of them. “Naruto!” Sasuke yelled, to no response. The grass ninja from earlier stepped out of the shadows. “Sasuke Uchiha, I’ve been waiting to fight you” he said, radiating Killing Intent. Once he looked into Sasuke’s eyes all Sasuke saw was visions of his gruesome death at the hands of the grass ninja. Sasuke immediately thought of Genjutsu, but the man never even made a handsign. Sasuke puked, he’d never felt so close to death since Itachi massacred his clan. Haku was a breeze compared to this guy.

Sasuke looked over to Sakura who was shaking like a leak. “Sakura… we must run, or we’ll die here and now!” Sasuke said seriously trying to move. Then Sasuke realized even he couldn’t move, and the grass ninja was advancing steadily towards them. “Heh, can you no longer move? Don’t make this too easy for me Sasuke.” The grass ninja said. Sasuke tried to get his limbs to move, he was able to retrieve a Kunai out of his pouch. The grass ninja flung two Kunai at them almost lazily, it was then Sasuke knew what he must do. With a grunt Sasuke stabbed himself with the Kunai in his hand, activating his Sharingan. He snapped to his senses, replacing his overwhelming fear with pain, activating his instinct to survive, and was able to get Sakura and himself out of there. After he’d gotten them a safe distance Sasuke pulled the Kunai out of his leg with a grunt. “S-Sasuke are you oka-” Sakura had tried to ask until Sasuke immediately raised his hand to her mouth, silencing her.

Sakura began mumbling and broke free of his grasp “Sasuke, snake!” she exclaimed, and Sasuke immediately jumped from the tree, retrieving several shuriken from his pouch and threw them at the snake in a panic. His shuriken found their targets, slaying the snake, but the grass ninja began to rise from inside the snake. “You shouldn’t be relaxing Sasuke, prey should always be running, in the presence of a predator” he said. The grass ninja began to slither up the tree, just like a snake would, when suddenly he was intercepted with shuriken, Sasuke looked towards where the shuriken came from and he noticed Naruto beaming “Sorry I’m late” he said.

Sasuke was still worried, but he was happy that Naruto was here. Another fighter was just what we needed. But Sasuke still didn’t think he would be able to beat the grass ninja, but he’d sure try. If he couldn’t beat him how could he beat Itachi? In the presence of another enemy, the grass ninja bit his thumb and slid up his sleeve, revealing a summoning tattoo. “Summoning Jutsu” he said, in a puff of smoke, a giant snake appeared, bigger than the last one. The snake immediately hit Naruto, destroying the branch he stood on. “Go ahead and eat him” The grass ninja said. “Naruto!” Sasuke yelled jumping into action. Sasuke made quick handsigns, “Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu” He yelled while blowing out huge fireball. It struck the snake in the left eye and the snake began rampaging after that, destroying nearby trees.

Naruto had gotten himself back up from the tree and began to start pummeling the snake with flurries of fists, and Sasuke noticed a reddish-orange cloak that seemed to be surrounding Naruto, filling him with power. Sasuke was surprised this was the Naruto he’d known because he was fighting like a wild animal. The grass ninja simply blew out fire out of his mouth, not even needing a handsign, and Naruto ran right through it. Naruto was able to stop the snake dead in it’s tracks, and Sasuke pounced on the grass ninja that was still on top of the snakes head. Sasuke had engaged him in quick taijutsu combat, and he realized that he was able to see the majority of the grass ninja’s moves before he would make them. He used that to his advantage, keeping up with the grass ninja even though he was slower.

Sasuke threw his weapons that had the string attached and it whirled behind the grass ninja, Sasuke pulled his string with his teeth and hands. This attached the grass ninja to the tree. Sasuke made quick handsigns and smirked “Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu” he exclaimed, sending his jutsu through the strings. The grass ninja screamed out in pain, but his face appeared to start peeling off, revealing eyes that looked just like the snakes he summoned. “You really are Itachi’s brother. I sense that your eyes can surpass his” he says while activating his Killing Intent, paralyzing Team 7.“What the hell, what are you really?” Sasuke asked. “I’m Orochimaru, if you want to see me again, you must pass these exams. I noticed you already got past the Sound ninja I sent for you to play with, although sooner than I intended. I’ll be leaving you with a parting gift” Orochimaru says darkly, making a handsign, one that Sasuke has never seen before. Orochimaru’s neck extended out, and before Sasuke could react Orochimaru bit him, leaving the Curse Mark. Before Orochimaru’s neck retracted he whispered in Sasuke’s ear “You will seek me out if you desire to seek power.”

Naruto yelled “What did you just do to Sasuke?!” and Orochimaru just smiled, “I left him a parting gift like I said I would, goodbye” Orochimaru said, while teleporting out in a puff of smoke. “Gyah” Sasuke cried out. Sasuke was feeling pain, pain greater than all of the injuries he’s ever experienced. Sasuke tried to fight it, fight the pain he was feeling. But it was overwhelming “Sasuke hold on, you will be okay.” Naruto said, but Sasuke barely heard him. “M-make sure we pass” Sasuke said, blacking out after he did. Naruto was determined to make sure that they did “Okay, Sasuke” Naruto replied, but his words didn’t reach Sasuke at all.  
____________________________________________________________  
Team 7 wasn’t that far away from the tower, they were only a couple hours away, Naruto was on high alert though. He had to protect his friend, at all costs. Before Naruto and Sakura started to move Naruto had a shadow clone carry Sasuke. He also had 5 shadow clones transform into animals and birds, so that they could surprise an enemy if they were attacked. “Sakura, do you think Sasuke will be alright?” Naruto asked. Sakura didn’t know the answer to that question for sure, but she had an idea. “Orochimaru said that if Sasuke wants to see him again, he has to pass these exams. I don’t think he would do anything that would kill Sasuke, if he wants Sasuke to see him again” Sakura explained while she walked. “Yeah, that makes sense” Naruto said.

Naruto and Sakura were walking for hours towards the tower, trying to avoid conflict the best they could. Eventually, they made it to their destination, they made it with time to spare, they weren’t the first there, but they were some of the earliest groups there. “Huh, there isn’t a lot of people here yet, I guess we were some of the first ones. We’re lucky we fought those ninjas from the Sound Village so early on.” Naruto said to Sakura. Sakura looked at Sasuke and checked his fever. It had gone down significantly, but he still hadn’t awoken yet.

“I guess it’s time we open our scrolls.” Naruto said, while taking them out of Sasuke’s pocket. Sakura nodded, and Naruto opened them and they began smoking “Put them down, those are summoning scrolls Naruto!” Sakura yelled. Kakashi popped out. “Congrats to you guys for passing the second part of the Chunin Exams. I heard about Sasuke from Anko, the examiner and I’m here to take him to a medic. Don’t worry, I’ll have him back in time for the next part of the exams” Kakashi said. Sakura began to wipe the tears from her face, tears that she didn’t even realize were flowing. “Thank you so much Kakashi-Sensei, I was so worried about him.” Sakura says while crying. Naruto sighed out of relief “Whew, I was worried, but I’m glad you came” Naruto said, putting on his normal tough-guy facade. “Alright I have to go now, I’ll have him back before you guys start the 3rd part of the exam.” Kakashi said while grabbing Sasuke. Kakashi and Sasuke vanished in a puff of smoke.  
_______________________________________________________________  
“What have you gotten yourself into Sasuke?” Kakashi says lowly as he’s on the way to the medics. They already had a bed prepared, and the began to examine Sasuke. “Sasuke should be alright, he has some damage to his inner ear, and he’s exhausted.” The medic says. “We can heal him now with Medical Ninjutsu, and it won’t take too long. We can have him back in time for his examination” The medic continues. “That’s great, he’d like that. He’s been anticipating these exams.” Kakashi says, remembering when Sasuke asked him if he had signed him up. The medic begins to use her jutsu, healing Sasuke’s inner ear, and his smaller injuries. Sasuke wakes up shortly after that, with chakra flaring around him, and the Curse Mark had spread to half his body.

So Sasuke had received the Curse Mark huh? Kakashi thought. This was the same one that Anko received, let’s hope he can retake control of himself without my interference. Sasuke takes note of the power seeping through his body, it seemed darker than his usual chakra but he didn’t mind, he liked it. “This is real power.” Sasuke says while smirking. Kakashi shakes his head “But it isn’t your power, if you want to accomplish your goals you should do it with your own power.” Kakashi replied. Sasuke sneered due to the influence of the Curse Mark “Funny for you to say, you use someone else’s power everyday. That Sharingan of yours, it isn’t yours. You weren’t born with it.” Sasuke says darkly.

Kakashi had known that Sasuke had only said that because of the influence of the Curse Mark, but it had still hurt. “Sasuke you don’t mean that. That’s the Curse Mark talking, not you.” Kakashi said lowly. “Don’t be so sure.” Sasuke says while cracking his knuckles. Kakashi immediately hit knocked Sasuke out. Then he realized the Medic could’ve taken that the wrong way. “Sorry for that. Also, I didn’t hurt him, I just knocked him out. I’ll deal with his Curse Mark” Kakashi says casually. Then he took Sasuke to an unused room in the hospital. He began drawing the appropriate seals necessary to use the Evil Sealing Method, he then woke Sasuke up. “Sasuke, you have a Curse Mark, it grants great power but it corrodes your mind. You are aware that you need Mind, Body, and Spirit to be a successful Shinobi right?”Kakashi asks. Sasuke awoke feeling groggy, he was aware he had a Curse Mark because he remembered what he said, and the power he felt. “Yes I do know that you need Mind, Body, and Spirit to be a good Shinobi. And listen, I’m sorry I said what I said.” Sasuke apologized.

“I knew it wasn’t you, and when we go back to my place I can explain to you how I received my Sharingan, but for now I’m going to suppress your Curse Mark with a seal. This seal relies on your strength of will. If you want it to work it will, but if you are seduced by the Curse Mark, the seal can’t help you” Kakashi lectures. “Alright, let’s get it over with so I can go back to the test… we did pass right?” Sasuke asks, feeling a slight tinge of worry. “Yes, they passed with time to spare, hence why I was able to take you away. Now I’m going to start, it is painful, and you might even pass out from the pain.” Kakashi warned. “Heh, I doubt it” Sasuke replied. Kakashi runs through the appropriate handsigns and says “Evil Sealing Method” and slams his hand on Sasuke’s curse mark. Sasuke feels so much pain that he could barely even react. The seals began to retreat up Sasuke’s back into the Curse Mark on his neck. When it’s complete, a mark appears around the Curse Mark, and Sasuke nearly passes out from the pain. “See I told you I wouldn’t pass out” Sasuke says weakly. Kakashi just laughs and takes Sasuke back to his team.  
__________________________________________________________________  
As soon as Sasuke gets back into the room where his teammates are Sakura hugs him, and Sasuke allows it, begrudgingly. “I’m so glad you’re back, and that you’re safe” Sakura says softly. Sasuke just nods. The then looks at Naruto and smirks “Are you all healed up? Because I’m going to send you back to the hospital, after I beat you during these exams.” Naruto says cockily. “Get real loser.” Sasuke replies. Sasuke and the rest of Team 7 walked into the next room proudly to see the rest of the rookies, the team from the Sand Village, the Sound ninja that they beat, and Kabuto’s team. “Looks like all the rookies made it, I’m impressed.” Sasuke says.

“Oh look Sasuke’s team didn’t get picked off too early? Good cause I want to knock that smug look off of Sasuke’s face” Kiba says cockily. “Hmph” Sasuke simply replies. Sasuke is also happy to see that Gaara made it, and he looked unscathed. That made Sasuke want to fight him even more though.

“First off congratulations on passing the Second Exam! Lord Hokage will explain the Third Test” Anko yelled. All of the Chunin and Jonin Sasuke knew was behind her, and the Hokage was next to her. “This test is to promote friendship and to raise the level of Shinobi of all the villages participating. This test is also… a replacement for war in allied countries” the Hokage says. Numerous people yelled out “What is that supposed to mean?” “Yes this exam decides if you will be a Chunin, but it also allows the Shinobi of our villages and others to show off the strength of their Shinobi. Villages with strong shinobi’s get more mission, therefore more income. The strength of a village is the strength of it’s shinobi.”the Hokage continues.

A sickly looking Shinobi then comes to the stage and begins coughing “As the proctor, let me take over from here. I’m Hayate.” The Hokage nods and he continues. “We must do a preliminary test. It seems that the other tests were too easy for you guys and there are more people than we thought there would be” Hayate says, met with outrage from the Chunin hopefuls. “Also, if anyone isn’t feeling well, they can quit, because the preliminary exam starts now” Hayate says. Sasuke was surprised it was so soon. Nearby Kabuto raised his hand “I’ll quit, I sustained some damage from the sound ninja’s attacks. I can’t even hear out of my left ear since the attack” Kabuto says. Sasuke’s surprised, he got hit with a sound attack and it wasn’t even that bad. He did sustain damage but it wasn’t that serious.

“Kabuto Yakushi right? You may go.” Hayato says. Kabuto walks out. “If that’s the last person who’s going to duck out, the preliminary exams are going to start now. The preliminary exam consists of real-life combat, You win if your opponent admits defeat or dies, I can also decide a winner, to keep the casualties low. Now, we’ll reveal the object that will decide your fate. This electric scoreboard will reveal each of the matches.” Hayato says, gesturing to the electric scoreboard. “Real combat huh? This is what I came for” Sasuke says, smirking.

“Now the first match is…!” 


	4. Training for Chunin Exams Finals

Naruto: A Different Path

Recap:“Now the first match is…!”  
Sasuke looked up at electronic scoreboard and smirked. “Already heh?” he said lowly.  
Sasuke Uchiha  
vs.  
Kiba Inuzuka  
“Yahoo, Akamaru, we get to take on the Uchiha early!” Kiba yelled. All the other genin took their places in the stands leaving just Sasuke and Kiba. “Sasuke Uchiha and Kiba Inuzuka, are you ready to begin the first match?” Hayato asked. “Yeah” Sasuke replied “Of course” Kiba added. “Well the first match of the preliminary exams may begin” Hayate said, jumping out of their way. 

Kiba got on all fours and Sasuke immediately activated his Sharingan. He began to see Kiba’s chakra leaking out. “Four Legs Jutsu” Kiba yelled out. Kiba began to look more feral, his canines elongated, his fingernails began to resemble claws and his pupils turned to slits. Akamaru climbed out of Kiba’s hoodie and Kiba flung him on his back. “Beast Human Clone” Kiba said, Akamaru then changed into Kiba. They began to dash at Sasuke engaging in a quick Taijutsu bout, which Kiba seemed to have the upper hand of. Sasuke was avoiding taking direct damage because of his Sharingan’s precognition, but Kiba was indeed faster and stronger in his Four Legs Jutsu. Sasuke also had to worry about Akamaru disquised as Kiba, as he was attacking from his blind side. 

“Enough” Sasuke yelled, sending his chakra to his feet for an enhanced jump. Sasuke, gathering fire nature chakra in his mouth, ran through handsigns and said “Fire Release: Dragon Fire Jutsu” releasing the Dragon’s fire at Kiba & Akamaru. Kiba and Akamaru dodged it, and Kiba yelled “Fang Passing Fang” and him and Akamaru began spinning. They began rocketing towards Sasuke who was still in midair, Sasuke was unable to dodge in midair and was battered by Kiba and Akamaru. Sasuke fell to the ground and spit blood out of his mouth, he was hit square in the chest by Kiba’s jutsu.

Sasuke fell the ground, but was up on his feet in no time. “I have to use my Sharingan to make up for the difference in our speed” thought inwardly. Kiba began to dash at Sasuke again, and Sasuke realized that the would attack from his right, Sasuke aimed a kick at his right, anticipating where Kiba would strike. Sasuke successfully kicked Kiba and smirked. “With my Sharingan, I can perceive where you’ll be, even if you aren’t there yet. Your Fang Passing Fang won’t work on me again.” Sasuke declared, looking smug. 

“Well, if my normal jutsu won’t work on you, I’ll have to kick it up a notch, even though I wanted to save this for the finals.” Kiba says. “Human Beast Combination Transformation: Double-Headed Wolf” Kiba snarled, making a handsign. Kiba and Akamaru tranformed into a gigantic Double-Headed Wolf with white fur. Sasuke began to wonder how he’d take it down. The gigantic wolf began spinning and Kiba growled “Fang Wolf Fang” The wolf began spinning towards Sasuke, and he dodged the brunt of the blow, by moving his upper body to the left. But, he had gotten grazed by it, and it hit him on his ribs on the left side. Sasuke sucked in a breath and began to grab his ribs, it had felt like some of them had cracked, or even broke. Sasuke wondered why Kiba wasn’t attacking during the time he was vulnerable, but he was thankful he wasn’t. 

Sasuke began to realize that there was a recovery period for Kiba’s Wolf Fang Wolf, that’s why he didn’t follow up with another attack, because he couldn’t. Sasuke began formulating a plan to exploit this weakness. Kiba began to spin again, and Sasuke had immediately sent his chakra to his feet, and jumped tens of feet in the air, like he had before, but instead landing on the ceiling. Sasuke had used his chakra to stick to the ceiling. Kiba yelled out “Wolf Fang Wolf” and bolted up to the ceiling. Sasuke noticed that Kiba started to slow down once he got to him and he immediately dashed to his right making quick handsigns and unleashing a volley of shuriken “Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson!” Sasuke yelled, infusing fire chakra into his shuriken. Most of his shuriken hit their mark, lodging themselves in Kiba and burning him. Kiba was forced to drop his transformation, revealing some serious burns, and he began to fall from the ceiling. 

Sasuke used chakra enhanced speed and quickly bolted to catch Kiba. He had beaten him, but he didn’t want him to sustain anymore injuries due to a fall. Hayate coughed and said “The match goes to Sasuke Uchiha.” Sakura and Ino cheered for him. The medics came out with a gurney for both Sasuke and Kiba, and Sasuke had collapsed from exhaustion. 

Sasuke woke up and the first thing he saw was Kakashi and a Medic standing above him. “Sasuke, you cracked a couple of ribs, and had some minor cuts and bruises. The medic pretty much healed you up.” Kakashi said, while shooing the Medic away. The Medic caught Kakashi’s drift and left the two alone. “So, how long was I out?” Sasuke asked. “You were out for the rest of the fights.”Kakashi replied. “Naruto beat Yoroi, Sakura and Ino was a double knock out. Kankuro, revealed himself to be a puppet master, and he defeated Misumi. Shino beat Zaku, Shikamaru beat Kin, Neji beat Hinata, Choji beat Dosu, and Temari beat Tenten Gaara beat Lee which was by far the most interesting match.” Kakashi says. 

Sasuke sat up in his seat. He knew Gaara was probably strong, but he’d have to be very strong to beat Rock Lee. “Gaara uses sand, his sand automatically defends him from attacks without him needed to exert Chakra. He’s able to crush limbs with his sand, and that’s exactly what he did to Lee, he crushed his arm and his leg. Lee put up a good fight, showing off great speed, which allowed him to get past his sand defense, but in the end he still lost. Lee’s injuries were serious, and the medics said it’s highly likely he won’t be able to be a ninja anymore.” Kakashi said lowly. 

Sasuke was surprised Lee was defeated, and that he might not be able to be a ninja anymore. “Who am I matched up with in the finals?” Sasuke asked. “Gaara” Kakashi responded simply. Sasuke smirked, Gaara was probably one of the strongest in the exams. Sasuke was excited about fighting him. “How do you suggest I beat Gaara?” Sasuke asked. Kakashi laughed “I knew you would act that way, I thought you’d be excited about fighting Gaara. He is one of the stronger Genin in the exams. My suggestion would be to learn a jutsu to get past Gaara’s defenses, and boost your speed heavily so you can outrun Gaara’s defenses.” Kakashi replied.

“How am I supposed to do that?” Sasuke asked. Sasuke didn’t know how much time was in between the preliminary exams and the finals, but he knew it couldn’t be a lot of time. “You’ll learn the Chidori. It’ll serve two purposes, making you fast enough to avoid Gaara’s sand, and get past his defenses.”Kakashi says. Sasuke was excited, he’d seen how much damage it could do when Kakashi was able to cut through Haku like a hot knife through butter. 

“Interested?” Kakashi asked, already knowing the answer. “Of course” Sasuke answered. “Let’s get out of here then” Kakashi said. Sasuke and Kakashi walked to a rocky part of the village, where they wouldn’t damage anything important. “So you do know what the Chidori is right? It’s an original jutsu of mine.” Kakashi said. “Isn’t it a high concentration of electricity around your hand? I’m pretty sure it increasing your striking power a lot, because you were able to cut straight through Haku” Sasuke said. “That’s basically it. The Chidori is a high concentration of Lightning Release chakra that surrounds the users hand. But you must have the Sharingan to use the Chidori at it’s full capability.” Kakashi says. Sasuke frowned, not understanding fully. “You need the Sharingan to avoid tunnel vision. At the speed that the Chidori is performed, the user is susceptible to attacks from their blindspot, and without the Sharingan, they wouldn’t be able to react in time. But with the Sharingan’s advanced visual perception and predictive capabilities all those drawbacks can be avoided. That’s why most ninja can’t use the Chidori safely, and why I don’t go around teaching it to just anyone.” Kakashi lectured. 

“I understand.” Sasuke says. “First we have to see if you even have the capability to use the Chidori. We need to find out your chakra affinity.” Kakashi says, pulling out a piece of paper from his back pocket. “This is chakra induction paper, run your chakra through it and you will discover the chakra nature you have an affinity with.” Kakashi said, throwing giving Sasuke the paper. Sasuke took the paper and began using his chakra, and the paper began to wrinkle. “Lightning Release, just what we needed” Kakashi said.

“Are we finally going to get started on learning the Chidori now?” Sasuke asked, impatience taking over. Sasuke was excited about this, a strong new jutsu in his arsenal. Also a new chakra nature, he didn’t have to just use fire anymore. “Well, per say. Before you learn the Chidori we have to increase your speed, so that you can deliver the Chidori quickly. The Chidori is an assassination technique, but the sound is a dead giveaway.” Kakashi said, making a Chidori in his hand to prove the point. Sasuke took notice of the sound, and how loud it was. “So to counteract the sound of the Chidori, the user has to move very fast. Faster than you’re capable of right now. If you move fast enough, the sound won’t matter because you can hit them before they can react.” Kakashi continued. 

“So I have to get faster before I can even learn this jutsu? Will we even have enough time” Sasuke asked. “We’ll have plenty of time, we get a whole month until the finals. You already have everything you need to get faster, remember when you fought Lee? Your Sharingan observed his speed, with training you should be able to replicate it. Lee’s very fast for a genin, and he has the speed you need to use the Chidori.” Kakashi answered. “After you get fast enough, learning the Chidori will be a cinch and it isn’t too hard to learn, you just have to have adequate speed and the Nature Transformation.”Kakashi said. Sasuke smirked. He would be getting a lot out of this training with Kakashi. Better speed, and a jutsu that Kakashi himself created. 

“Okay, firstly we’ll focus on gaining the speed you need for the Chidori. You had your Sharingan activated when you fought Rock Lee right?” Kakashi asked. Sasuke was surprised that Kakashi had known. He wasn’t going to get anything significant past Kakashi he figured. “You’ll be using your Sharingan to remember and imitate his speed. Lee was fast enough to get past Gaara’s defenses and fast enough to run away. He was caught because he used a technique that takes a significant toll on his body.” Kakashi lectured. “You need to train your body to be fully capable of using Lee’s speed. Even if you copy something with your Sharingan you cannot use it unless you are physically capable. Let’s start by having you do laps around the village. I want you to do 50 laps around the village. ” Kakashi continued. 

“No way! Isn’t there another way we could do this?” Sasuke said frowning. He didn’t mind doing laps but fifty? Kakashi must be crazy to think he would do that. “I thought you would say that, so I’ll give you a little bit of motivation.” Kakashi said with a dark chuckle. Kakashi made some handsigns and yelled “Summoning Jutsu” with a puff of smoke, a few of Kakashi’s biggest ninken appeared. Sasuke had recognized them from Kakashi’s fight against Zabuza. Kakashi sat and simply said “Get him” the ninken began to growl and Sasuke began to run. 

Several hours later Sasuke came back to the area that he and Kakashi were to find him reading his Icha Icha book. Sasuke was panting and absolutely drenched in sweat. “I’ve done it… fifty laps. Call off your dogs now.” Sasuke said lowly. Kakashi smirked. He had to borrow some of Gai’s more old-school methods. “You’ll be doing that everyday for the next 2 weeks. Get used to it. Hopefully I won’t have to summon my ninken again, but they need exercise as well.” Kakashi said, calling dismissing his ninken with a poof. “If you keep doing these laps around the village you’ll be able to cut your time down significantly, and it’ll get your body ready to be able to use Lee’s speed. If you were to just try to use his speed right now, it wouldn’t go too well.” Kakashi lectured. 

Sasuke was too tired to argue. He just nodded. “Let’s go back to your house, Kakashi” Sasuke said lowly. Kakashi nodded, and they walked back. Sasuke collapsed once he got there. 

Sasuke woke up a bit earlier than he usually does. Kakashi was still asleep and Sasuke decided he’d take his laps sooner rather than later, and he ran his fifty laps around the village. He was quicker than yesterday, but he not as quick as he wanted to be. He had gotten back to Kakashi’s place and he wasn’t there. He then realized that Kakashi was probably at the rocky area that they were at yesterday, and went there. He had found Kakashi waiting. “Figured you had been doing your laps early in the morning because once I woke up you were gone. Were you any quicker this time?” Kakashi asked. 

“Yes, but not as quick as I need to be I’m guessing.” Sasuke replied. “Well since I didn’t expect you to do your laps this early, I didn’t have anything planned for you. It was supposed to keep you busy for most of the day. Do you want to train in any particular areas, or anything else?” Kakashi asked. Sasuke mulled this over. Then he had finally come to a conclusion. 

“I have a question for you Kakashi. How do you have the Sharingan?” Sasuke asked. Kakashi grimaced, he knew that conversation would come, but he still wasn’t prepared for it. Sasuke took note of Kakashi’s growing discomfort. Sasuke would hate to think that Kakashi stole that Sharingan from one of Sasuke’s brethren. He wouldn’t know how to react if that was the case. But then again, how could he react? Sasuke decided to play it cool, he didn’t think Kakashi would steal a Sharingan from an Uchiha, he had no reason to worry. Kakashi exhaled “This Sharingan was given to me by a friend right before he passed away. He was a teammate of mine and a member of the Uchiha clan. He sacrificed his life for mine. I had gotten wounded in the battle before this, and I had gotten my eye slashed out. Once my friend was on his deathbed, and beyond our help he decided to give me his Sharingan. So a part of him, could live on in me, and so I could protect the village.”

So that’s how Kakashi had gotten it. It seemed unreal for him to be as good as he was with his Sharingan despite not being an Uchiha. He was better than most Sharingan users he’d known before the clan’s destruction. In fact he’d only known two people to use their Sharingan on par with, or above Kaklashi, his father, and Itachi. Speaking of Itachi… “Kakashi, you knew Itachi right? What was he like?” Sasuke asked. Kakashi simply ran his hand through his silver hair “I did know Itachi. We were on the same Anbu Squad, and I was his captain. He was powerful and very mysterious. He didn’t talk much, but he always got the job done. He and I worked fine together, I never would’ve thought he were capable of the horrific act that he committed.” 

Sasuke was getting angry quickly. It was irrational, but just at the mention of Itachi’s name his blood began to boil. “Well obviously he was very capable of doing what he did. But I’ll make him pay, I bet my life on it!” Sasuke said lowly. Kakashi sighed “Why are you so bent on revenge, Sasuke? I’m not saying to forgive him, nor to forget the crimes he committed. But I do know that your parents, and your clan wouldn’t want you to live your life obsessed with revenge. They would’ve wanted you to life a good life and be happy. It’s okay to grieve and miss your family, your clan but not forever. It’s okay to want to avenge your clan, but you shouldn’t let it take over your life. Or else, you’d be doing exactly what Itachi wanted you to do.” Kakashi lectured. 

Sasuke burst with anger “What would you know, huh!? Who have you lost that’s close to you? I lost my whole entire family, in one night. I was only a kid when it happened, I couldn’t do anything to stop it. Then he spared me. He didn’t even bother to kill me like I wasn’t even worthy of dying at his hands. Could you imagine how that felt to me? My whole family died, and I’m alone in this world except for my brother, who murdered my entire clan. I’m absolutely alone, and it hurts.” Sasuke would’ve cried, if he still had tears left in him. He wouldn’t allow himself to cry for his family anymore. Not until he avenged them.

Kakashi had understood that, he’d felt it. He had lost everyone that was close to him besides Team 7. But he didn’t have anyone to blame, besides himself. It was Kakashi’s fought Obito and Rin had died. “Sasuke… I do get it. All the people I’ve loved have already died. Everyone. I understand the anger, the grief, and the rage. I understand that you hate your weakness, and I did too. I could’ve saved my friends, and if it weren’t for my weakness they’d still be alive. But you cannot blame yourself for not stopping Itachi. You were a kid.” Kakashi spoke softly, but firmly. “Also, you aren’t alone, you have your comrades in Team 7, and me. We might not be your family biologically, but we do care about you, even Naruto does in his own stubborn way.”

Sasuke regained his composure “Whatever, it doesn’t change the way I feel, nor what I have to do.” Sasuke said darkly. “I didn’t think it would. But all I’m saying is that you shouldn’t let it consume your life. Your life is yours alone, you choose what you want it to be. You can choose to be caught up in revenge-” “No, I chose to be an avenger. I will do what I set out to.” Sasuke declared firmly, whilst walking away from Kakashi. Sasuke had to go clear his head.  
________________________________________________________________________  
Kakashi allowed Sasuke to leave, giving the young Uchiha some much needed space. He made a handsign and used the Body Flicker Jutsu to teleport to the Hokage’s office. He needed an audience with the Hokage about Sasuke’s behavior. It seemed that Sasuke wasn’t getting any better when it comes to his desire to get revenge, and how he was letting it consume him. 

He knocked on the door, and he heard the familiar voice of Hiruzen ring out “Come in, Kakashi.” Kakashi allowed a smile to graze his lips. Damn, the Hokage was good. Kakashi walked in and Hiruzen was just sitting at the Hokage’s desk, filling out some paperwork as usual. “Something wrong, Kakashi?” He asked. “As you know, I’ve taken Sasuke under my wing for Chunin Exam training, and he’s living with me because his house burned down.” Kakashi began. Hiruzen simply nodded. “Well something’s come up that concerned me” Kakashi said. He than repeated the conversation he and Sasuke had just had. 

“So you’re seeking council for the young Sasuke Uchiha? To me it seems he’s still obsessed with revenge, and he blames himself for being too weak. It’s troubling indeed.” Kakashi was deadpan, he could’ve figured that much out. In fact he did. He needed advice as for how to deal with the lingering darkness in Sasuke’s heart. “It’s strange because he has a genuine friendship and camaraderie with Naruto, although both of them won’t admit it. He almost died for Naruto on a mission and the both of them are rivals and spur each other on. He has friends, but it just seems like he’s so consumed with his goal of killing Itachi.” Kakashi said, with a concerned tone. 

“Well I know one thing, we need to get him some help before it’s too late. Orochimaru has already taken an interest to him, and we cannot allow him to fall into the clutches of Orochimaru. His ultimate goal is to get strong enough to take on Itachi, Orochimaru is offering him strength, and from a legendary ninja like Orochimaru it’s an offer he’ll take seriously. I don’t know what we can offer him that can make him want to stay in Konoha.” Hiruzen said lowly. Kakashi considered that thought. What could Konoha give Sasuke that could even compare to what Orochimaru could offer Sasuke? Kakashi would have to mull this over.

“Thanks for the help Lord Hokage, you’ve given me something to consider. It may not lead to anything now, but it may eventually.” Kakashi said, using the Body Flicker to leave.  
_______________________________________________________________________  
Sasuke was fuming. How dare Kakashi tell him to not let his desire for revenge consume him. Yes, Sasuke did have a choice, but he’s going to choose revenge every time. He had to avenge his family, his clan. Because of Itachi his once great clan, would become a blight in history. His family, his clan, their legacy, all gone. Because of one man. In Sasuke’s eyes it was unforgivable. If his clan was going to become a blight in history, so was the man who ended it. 

Sasuke went to the training grounds and began to lash out with barrages of punches, kicks, and shurikenjutsu on the target dummies. Even in his fragile mind state all his shuriken found their mark. Sakura happened to be taking a walk near the training grounds. She didn’t intend to train, but she needed to walk past them to reach her destination. She saw Sasuke lashing out, and even though he didn’t say anything, he seemed troubled. “What’s wrong, Sasuke” she spoke softly. 

“Nothing you would get Sakura. You still have your family after all.” Sasuke said darkly. Sakura was concerned but she knew she wouldn’t be able to relate to him. She still did have her family, even though they were civilians and they couldn’t help her much with Shinobi affairs, she still had a family. Sasuke was completely alone. “I couldn’t imagine to be in your shoes Sasuke. Even though my family annoys me, we are still family, and I know I can count on them. I can’t begin to imagine your pain and your grief.” Sakura admitted.  
“Kakashi was just telling me to not be consumed in my revenge. But it’s hard to think of anything else as long as my brother still breathes. He took everything from me. So until he dies, at my hands, I won’t have peace.” Sasuke said. “Don’t you think that was his plan the whole time? To have you live miserably. If you allow him to get to you he will haunt you for your whole life Sasuke. I’m telling you this because I care about you. I always have.” Sakura said softly. “Thank you Sakura…” Sakura began to blush slightly.

“Sakura… you need to get stronger, we all do. You have the chakra control for genjutsu right? Do something with it. The team is lacking in that area.” Sasuke walked into the distance leaving the pink-haired girl to her thoughts.  
________________________________________________________________________  
For the next two weeks Sasuke did his 50 laps dutifully around the village everyday. He did see his speed increase tremendously and he had cut his time down by a couple hours. He met Kakashi at the rocky area that they always go to. “You’ve done your laps everyday right? You should be ready to use Lee’s speed.” Kakashi said. “Activate your sharingan, and remember when you fought Lee. Remember how fast he was, and how you were unable to react quick enough.” Kakashi mocked. “How do you even know all of this? Were you there?” Sasuke asked slightly ticked off. “No, but Gai is my rival, and he’s bound to brag if his prized student beat one of mine.” Kakashi answered. 

Sasuke put some chakra behind his eyes, activating his Sharingan. He replayed the scene of Lee’s taijutsu, and his speed. His chakra flowed to his legs, not voluntarily, but instinctively. He dashed, and he moved faster than he ever had before. Sasuke smirked. All those laps weren’t for nothing. “It seems like you were able to successfully tap into Lee’s speed. It’s pretty impressive isn’t it. Imagine how much he had to train to get that fast.” Kakashi said. Sasuke could only imagine how much Lee trained. He thanked Lee internally, and didn’t even mind too much that he had lost that fight against him, it helped him in the long run. 

“You have Lee’s pure speed, but you also need to increase your speed in battle. Let’s spar so you’ll be used to your new speed in battle. Don’t worry, I won’t even use my Sharingan.” Kakashi taunted, letting a smile touch his lips, behind his mask. Sasuke dashed towards Kakashi, activating his Sharingan. Sasuke was cocky sometimes, but he wasn’t a fool. He wouldn’t let the fact that Kakashi isn’t using his Sharingan trick him into not using his. There’s a great skill difference between them, and Sasuke recognized it. 

Sasuke pounced on Kakashi, covering the distance between them almost instantly. He began throwing flurries of punches and kicks, faster than he ever had before. Of course Kakashi dodged all of them effortlessly. Sasuke tried to sweep Kakashi off his feet with a low kick and Kakashi merely jumped. Sasuke did as well, soaring into the air higher than he had expected to, he’d nearly overshot Kakashi. Sasuke reached into his shuriken pouch and unleashed them on Kakashi. Kakashi merely took out a kunai and parried all of them. Once both of them landed Kakashi said “You’ve gotten faster in combat as well… good.”

“Now you’re ready to learn the Chidori. It’s more anti-climatic than you would think. I’m going to show you the handsigns and the jutsu, and you’re going to copy it.” Sasuke was taken aback for a second. He had to do all that work to increase his speed and he could just copy the Chidori? Kakashi laughed at Sasuke, he had noticed how taken aback he was. “The whole purpose of the training is so that you could wield the Chidori. We had to make sure you had the proper chakra type, and the speed. You can just copy the Chidori but it won’t be that easy. It consumes a tremendous amount of chakra and even I can only use it 4 times a day. The first time you use it, it’s probably going to sap your reserves like crazy.” Kakashi explained. 

“Okay, I’m going to do the Chidori. I no longer use these handsigns that I’m going to show you, but it’ll be easier to help you channel your chakra if you use them. Call them training wheels.” Kakashi smiled. Sasuke activated his Kekkei Genkai and observed. Kakashi made some handsigns, but he slowed down for Sasuke’s sake. “Chidori!”Kakashi yelled. His lightning chakra was gathered in his hand, and he went and rammed his hand into a nearby rock formation. He punched a whole the length of his arm into it easily. 

“See, now you try. Use your Sharingan’s Eye of Insight, copy the handseals, and use your lightning chakra and gather it into your hand.” Kakashi lectured. Sasuke made the handsigns and gathered his lightning release chakra into his dominant hand. The lightning chakra began to visibly show and his skin began to peel. The chakra began to flow uncontrollably and he used shape transformation to contain it to his hand. He felt his chakra being swallowed by the Chidori’s chakra usage and he immediately ran up to a rock formation. He thrust his arm into it and yelled “Chidori!” he punched right through it, like a hot knife through butter. 

“You did it. Do you have the chakra to try again?” Kakashi asked. Sasuke merely shook his head. “You have to use Shape Manipulation to contain it to your hand earlier in the process. You allowed the chakra to leak, and that’s what had cost you a lot of chakra. I reckon if you can get a handle on Shape Manipulation you’ll be able to use it more than once. 

Sasuke felt accomplished. He was able to use the Chidori his first try. It wasn’t the full extent of the Chidori, but if he could master it, he’d have the edge in his fight with Gaara. “Go rest Sasuke, I can tell that you’re tired, and you chakra reserves are probably very low. If you were to try again, your chakra would immediately go to zero and you’d probably die. With the remaining time we’ll be focusing on maximizing how many times you can use the Chidori. 

Over the next week in a half, Sasuke was able to refine his Chidori, and he was able to increase the amount of times he’s able to use the Chidori in a day to 2 times. He’d met Kakashi in the rocky area that Sasuke had began to grow fond of. “Since you’ve learned the Chidori, for the next 6 days before the Chunin Exam Finals we can work on whatever you want. I do want you the rest on the last day, so we actually have 5 days of training left.” Kakashi said. Sasuke informed Kakashi of what he wanted to work on, and they did, for the next 5 days.

_____________________________________________________________________

Kakashi was proud of how his team was coming along. Jiraiya was overseeing Naruto’s training. Sasuke had just learned the Chidori, and Sakura… she surprised him, but in a good way. 

Flashback  
Sakura hadn’t always considered herself the weakling of the team. Before the Chunin Exams she would’ve absolutely said it was Naruto for sure. But the Chunin Exams were a wake up call for her. Sakura hadn’t been taking being a Kunoichi seriously. She’d focused on her hair, and most of all Sasuke. She neglected her training and she’d never gotten past the basics. She had learned a painful lesson that the basics weren’t going to be enough. Kin had taught her that in pain, she had needed Sasuke to save her, she couldn’t even count on her self. She was pummeled all throughout the fight and who knows what would’ve happened if Sasuke hadn’t ended his fight and came to her aid. 

But the thing that motivated her the most is that when Sasuke himself told her that she needed to train, to be able to protect herself. Naruto or Sasuke wouldn’t always be there to help her, she needed to be able to rely on her own strength. She had been mulling over how to do this, when her recent talk with Sasuke provided her with the answer: Genjutsu! Their team was lacking a Genjutsu user, and that could be an area that Sakura could truly excel in, given her skill in chakra control. 

Sakura decided to seek out her Jonin Sensei, Kakashi. He had used genjutsu on her during their bell test, and Kakashi was well versed in Ninjutsu, Taijutsu and Genjutsu, so he’d probably be able to help her. She found him at the KIA monument, after searching most of the village for him. He’d looked saddened, like he was reminiscing of something, or someone, that isn’t here anymore. She got his attention “Kakashi Sensei!” Sakura said. 

Kakashi had turned to face her “Sakura? What’s up” he asked. Sakura strengthened her resolve “I want to learn about Genjutsu.” She declared. Kakashi was taken aback, she wanted to learn about Genjutsu? Where was this sudden desire to learn coming from? “That’s awfully sudden of you, Sakura” Kakashi said. “I spoke with Sasuke recently, he seemed to be especially sad about his clan that day. He was lashing out at the training field. I tried to comfort him some, to the best of my ability. I told him that I couldn’t imagine his pain and grief, and that he shouldn’t live his life consumed with it” Sakura spoke softly. “He thanked me, and seemed sincere about it. He then told me that I should train, and that people are always telling me I have an aptitude for genjutsu and I should use it.” Sakura answered. 

“But, it wasn’t just his suggestion that led me to come here to ask you to teach me genjutsu. It was my weakness in general. I’m never the one that the team can depend on, I’m always the one that Naruto and Sasuke have to protect. I don’t want to be like that! I want to be able to protect myself, I want my team to be able to depend on me, I don’t want to be a burden!” Sakura said, tears coming to her eyes. “I had a rough time during the Chunin Exams, I was beaten to a bloody pulp by an enemy Kunoichi. If Sasuke hadn’t came and saved me… who knows what would’ve happened. I have to be able to protect myself! That’s why I want to learn genjutsu.” Sakura said, wiping the tears off her face and began to put on a look of determination. 

Kakashi was surprised, he was surprised that Sasuke would take the time out to tell her the truth, instead of sugarcoating over Sakura’s weakness. Most of all he was surprised at Sakura herself. It took a lot of strength to admit to your own shortcomings, Sakura was on her way. Unfortunately Kakashi was a terrible teacher when it came to genjutsu, but someone came to mind. “Sakura… although I can use genjutsu, I cannot teach you to use genjutsu. I’m not qualified...” Kakashi started. Sakura was deadpan. She had spilled her guts, and admitted to her weakness… all for naught. “But…I know someone who is qualified. She’s a master at Genjutsu and she’s more than qualified to teach you. Her name is Kurenai, she already has a genin team, so you’ll have to do some convincing to get her to teach you… but she has a soft spot for girls like you.” Kakashi continued. Sakura hugged Kakashi “Thank you, I appreciate this more than you know.” Sakura said.

Flashback end  
Kakashi was proud of Sakura, she would be a fine Kunoichi with Kurenai’s influence. He had spoke to Kurenai after the fact and she had agreed to teach Sakura genjutsu. Kurenai said that Sakura had the potential to be a great Genjutsu user. Kakashi was also proud of Sasuke. He hadn’t been dismissive of Sakura as usual, he’d given her some advice that would probably change Sakura for the better. She probably wouldn’t have considered it if it had came from Naruto, but the fact that it’d came from Sasuke made her consider it. 

Kakashi was still concerned for Sasuke though. Most of the time he cared for his comrades and he was a normal genin. But other times he was cold, detached, and when Itachi is spoke about he lashes out. He has a darkness looming inside of him, and with the Curse Mark’s chakra inside of him, amplifying his negative emotions, there’s no telling what he’d do with that darkness. He knew what Sasuke wanted, and it was simple: to kill Itachi and avenge his clan. That in itself wasn’t bad, but it’s the fact that it consumes him. It’s all he thinks about, he’s not even thinking about his future, or anything. Just the singular goal. 

He genuinely wanted to help his student, but he didn’t know how. When Kakashi himself was slipping into the darkness, Minato assigned him to protect Kushina while she was pregnant. That same logic slipped over to Team 7. Having something to protect helped him come from the darkness that Kakashi was suffering. But he didn’t know if that would work on Sasuke. He had to find something that he could offer Sasuke, because Sasuke’s loyalty wasn’t guaranteed, and it seems like it’s inevitable that Sasuke will one day leave in pursuit of revenge. 

The time had past, and the day of the finals had arrived. Sasuke prepped himself mentally for the ensuing battle. He’d trimmed his bangs, as they had grown past his eyes, during his weeks of training. He’d recently restocked up on shuriken and kunai, as his pouch was running low. Kakashi was nowhere to be found, but Sasuke wasn’t really concerned, he’d undoubtedly show up to see his match against Gaara. Sasuke head out, determined to win.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the very late update. My wifi was off! Hope y'all enjoyed this chappy.


	5. Chunin Exam Finals to Konoha Crush

 

 

Naruto: A Different Path

 

_Quick A/N: I’m pushing Sasuke and Gaara’s match back some, it’ll be the last match in the first round. Also remember that Choji beat Dosu! This happened in the prelims, and because Sasuke had taken Dosu’s sound amplification device that allowed him to use his jutsu. Without that, I’m pretty sure Choji would crush him. The first round matches are Naruto vs Neji, Shino vs Choji, then the winner of that match vs Kankuro, Temari vs Shikamaru and finally Sasuke vs Gaara._

 

Sasuke arrived at the Chunin Exams arena and the other 8 genin were also there. He took in his surroundings and Naruto began to walk towards him. “Glad you’re here, make sure you win your match, because I wanna fight ya too!” Naruto exclaimed. Sasuke smirked “That’s my line” he said simply. The Hokage gave the signal and the proctor Genma began to speak “Thank you everyone for coming to the Chunin Exams! We will now commence the main tournament matches between the 9 participants who made it through the prelims.” Genma pulled out a piece of paper and showed it to the genin so they could see their matches “Make sure you know who you’re fighting” he said.

 

“Alright guys this is the final test, the arena is different but the rules are the exact same, you fight till one of you dies, or acknowledges defeat. If I determine that the fight is over though, I'll step in and stop it, got that?” Genma said. “First fight is Naruto Uzumaki vs Hyuga Neji. Those two stay here, the rest of you, go to the waiting room. Sasuke walked over with the rest of the contestants. He went near Shino, as Sasuke didn’t mind Shino. He was quiet, strong, and he annoyed Sasuke the least of all the other Genin, unlike someone on his team.

 

He watched Naruto’s fight thoroughly, he was surprised to see Naruto use visible chakra during his match, especially after Neji had closed all of Naruto’s chakra points. He wandered where he was getting this chakra from, and how it was so dense. He wasn’t even using his sharingan and he was able to see, Naruto’s strange red tinted chakra. When Sasuke activated his Sharingan he saw a beast lurking inside Naruto, something that he’d never seen inside of anyone else. Sasuke snapped his eyes shut, he was sure that he was just seeing things. He’d be sure to ask Kakashi about it later. Neji was pretty strong, he was surprised Naruto was able to beat him. Naruto must be getting pretty strong, but Sasuke still was sure he was stronger. Once the crowd began cheering for Naruto, Sasuke looked down at Naruto, and Naruto had looked directly at him and stuck his tongue out.

 

Once Naruto had won and came to the waiting room with the rest of the genin Sasuke decided he’d just ask Naruto himself about the strange chakra he exhibited. Naruto came up smirking said “I’ve held up my end, you have to hold up yours now.” “Forget about that for now. What was that reddish-orange tinted chakra that you used during your fight with Neji? That doesn’t look like anything I’ve ever seen you do.” Sasuke asked. Naruto took a moment to consider not telling Sasuke, he didn’t want his own teammates to start treating him poorly for something he can’t control, but then again this was Sasuke, and they were friends, even if he hated his guts sometimes. Naruto gestured towards the stairway, so that people couldn’t hear him. Sasuke complied and came along with Naruto quickly. “Sasuke… I have something called the Nine-Tailed Fox inside of me. He’s a beast with an insane amount of chakra. That red chakra is his, not mine. He’s in my body so I’m able to draw upon his chakra sometimes, but only when all my chakra is gone.” Naruto explained.

 

Sasuke was awestruck, it made sense to him. Naruto always had a huge amount of chakra, and he could create thousands of shadow clones, he also had an insane amount of stamina that not even Kakashi had. It would also explain the beast that he saw inside of Naruto once he used his Sharingan. “I had saw something inside of you when I used my Sharingan, I couldn’t make out exactly what it was, but I knew it was a beast of some sort. Is that the Nine-Tailed Fox? He asked. “Probably, I mean unless I have some _other_ beast inside of me that not even I know about.” Naruto joked. Sasuke was taking the news better than he’d thought. “Okay, enough talk, it’s Choji’s match, and I wanna see him lose!” Naruto said, budging Sasuke out of his way.

 

Sasuke followed Naruto to the waiting room. Choji and Shino had already made their way down to the arena. Genma began to clear his throat “May the match between Shino and Choji begin!” He said, moving out of the way. Choji ran through a couple of handsigns and yelled “Multi-Size Jutsu!” Choji began to enlarge disproportionately, making his upper body much bigger than his lower body making him look rounded out. He began to roll at Shino yelling “Human Bullet Tank!”. Shino dodged in midair, jumping in midair thinking Choji wouldn’t be able to reach him there. Choji quickly took his legs out to shoot up to hit Shino. He hit him square on, but Shino dissipated into insects. “Insect Clone Jutsu” Shino said, barely audible, appearing behind Choji. Shino had his insects envelop Choji’s body as he landed, leaving only his head uncovered. “If you hit my Insect Clone they’ll just disperse back into my swarm of Kikaichu bugs, that’s how I got you.” Shino said. “But where were you when the match first started?” Choji questioned. “I had used the transformation jutsu, to make myself appear as a mere blade of grass.” Shino replied. Sasuke thought what Shino did was clever, he ended the battle in one fell swoop basically. He’d have to watch out for him during the exams, he was a contender.

 

“I quit, besides Asuma owes me dinner for me even getting this far.” Choji said, dreaming about going to Yakiniku Q and stuffing himself, and it’s all on Asuma’s treat. “Shino Aburame wins!” Genma declared. Choji had came back to the stands and Shino remained at the arena. “The next match is Shino vs Kankuro” Genma announced. “I forfeit!” Kankuro yells, not wanting to reveal the inner workings of his puppet unnecessarily.

 

“Why’d he get this far just to quit?” Naruto said, thinking out loud. Sasuke was thinking the exact same thing. He’d decided he’d observe the trio of Sand ninja’s closely from now on. Temari pulled out her fan, and used it to glide down to the arena. Sasuke smirked, “She wasn’t wasting any time huh?” He looked over and was amused to see that Naruto pushed Shikamaru off the rail, and into the arena.

 

_Not writing this fight out, it goes the same way._

 

Sasuke was surprised at how well Shikamaru had did against Temari, although he didn’t win the match. He seemed to always be 3 moves ahead of her, maneuvering her to where he wanted her to be. Sasuke smirked, as it was his turn to fight, finally. “About time.” Sasuke smirked. “Don’t lose Sasuke, not until you fight me at least.” Naruto exclaimed. “Hm” he replied, making a handsign. “Body Flicker Jutsu” he said with a smile. Sasuke teleported to the arena with leaves surrounding him. He knew he had gotten the desired effect when he glanced up to see Naruto’s eyes widen. Sasuke scanned the crowd, looking for Kakashi, and he found him near Sakura. Kakashi gave a thumbs up.

 

He looked up at Gaara, and Gaara had done the same, with sand instead of leaves. The crowd roared, this was the fight they had waited for. Genma walked up “A dramatic pair of fighters I see...” He said while smiling. “May the match between Sasuke Uchiha and Gaara begin!” Genma exclaimed, getting out of their way. Gaara released his sand, going for Sasuke’s legs and he broke into backflips to avoid it. Gaara stopped his sand and began clutching his head. “Mother… I haven’t brought you any good blood recently. I’ll make up for it now, with some delicious blood.” He said darkly. Sasuke briefly began to wonder what Gaara was talking about, and who he was talking to. Gaara broke him out of his thoughts once he regained his composure and began to attack Sasuke once more.

 

Sasuke reached into his shuriken pocket and skillfully flung some shuriken at Gaara, his sand automatically acted as a defense against it, and the sand became a clone of Gaara. Gaara sent the clone towards Sasuke, Sasuke used sent his chakra to the soles of his feet, and jumped to avoid the clone. He flung some more shuriken at the clone. Gaara’s sand clone used the shuriken that Sasuke had thrown earlier to make Sasuke’s volley of shuriken miss.

 

Sasuke launched a kick at the clone, it tried to use it’s hand to block it, but it just splattered sand across the arena. Sasuke then swung, using his full momentum and landed a punch on the clone’s neck. His hand had gotten stuck and Sasuke used a palm thrust to scatter the rest of the sand clone. He then came face to face with Gaara and tried to land a punch on his jaw, Gaara’s sand came to his aid, forming a shield in front of Gaara, but Sasuke smirked. He used the speed he’d copied from Lee to get behind him and Gaara’s eyes widened as he turned around. Sasuke hit Gaara square on the jaw, making him hit the ground. His sand cushioned him and broke his fall.

 

“Kakashi was right, Lee’s speed is helping a lot in this fight.” Sasuke thought. “I’m going to tear off all of that Sand Armor of yours.” Sasuke said, gesturing Gaara to come. Sasuke with his newfound speed began to start pummeling Gaara, getting past his defenses and landing blows, left and right. Sasuke blitzed Gaara and kicked him into the air, Sasuke jumped up, and elbowed Gaara in the stomach, sending him down to the arena. Gaara couldn’t take the toll his Sand Armor put on his chakra and he realized that was the last blow he could endure, without taking actual damage.

 

Not allowing Sasuke to catch him off guard, once Gaara landed he made a handsign. Gaara’s sand started to surround him, and Sasuke began to run at him, aiming a punch. Once Sasuke’s punch hit, it felt like he had punched a rock, the sand had fully surrounded Gaara. Sasuke’s hand had begun bleeding, due to hitting the sand. Sasuke realized that the sand was so strong now because it was much denser than it was when he was using it loosely. The sand began to try to attack Sasuke, and Sasuke activated his Sharingan. He was able to dodge it smoothly, and the sand didn’t even nick Sasuke. Sasuke was wondering how the sand was even finding him, cause Gaara couldn’t possibly see inside there, and he looked up to see an eye made of sand.

 

“So that’s how he’s able to detect me…” Sasuke said. Sasuke began to make quick handsigns for a jutsu he’d learn from Kakashi in the last couple days of training they had before the exams. “Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder” Sasuke said as he created a wave of electricity from his hands. He released it at the orb of sand Gaara was in, and it didn’t seem to do anything. Sasuke was taken aback, when practiced it at the rocky area he ripped through some of the rock formations.

 

Sasuke realized that none of his regular jutsu would work then, if that one didn’t. He had to resort to the Chidori. Sasuke back-flipped multiple times to gain some distance from Gaara. He’d used his chakra to stick to the wall of the arena. Sasuke made the necessary handsigns and started building his lightning release chakra in his dominant hand. He made sure to contain it to his hand, as to not waste chakra. He glanced at the orb of sand Gaara was in and he felt a sinister chakra. Sasuke began to run towards Gaara, and Gaara spiked his sand to repel Sasuke away. Sasuke kept going, using his Sharingan to avoid the attacks. Soon as Sasuke was beginning to thrust his Chidori into Gaara, Gaara squeezed his hand and the Third Eye dissipated and it’s sand got into Sasuke’s eyes, making his Chidori fizzle out. Sasuke backed up, and took some time to try to get the sand out of his eyes. This gave Gaara enough time to release his Bijuu.

 

Sasuke heard a roar, and once he got the sand out of his eyes he was looking at the One-Tail Shukaku. At the same time in the stands, Kabuto unleashed his Temple of Nirvana Genjutsu, putting most of the crowd asleep, except for most of the Shinobi. “I couldn’t wait to come out to play. First thing on my agenda is to kill this puny Uchiha.” Shukaku said roughly. Gai and Kakashi came to Sasuke’s side quickly. “You won’t touch my student!” Kakashi declared.

 

“Summoning: Food Cart Destroyer Jutsu!” Jiraiya yelled out. Gamabunta dropped on the Shukaku and squished him. “Eh, a frog!?” Shukaku said, while getting up. “Jiriaya you couldn’t have had any better timing” Kakashi said. “I’ll handle Shukaku here, you guys should join the defense.” Jiraiya ordered. “Including me?” Sasuke asked, not sure if he was just speaking to Kakashi and Gai. “You’re a Shinobi of the Leaf right?” Sasuke got the message and Body Flicker’d to Sakura, as there were were two Sound ninja preparing to attack her. Sakura noticed this and made a handsign, one of the Shinobi attacking her stopped dead in their tracks. Sasuke flung a Kunai into the head of the ninja she binded with her genjutsu. He then spun around and kicked the other ninja into the stands.

 

“Nice job, Sakura.” Sasuke complimented. He was surprised to see he took her advice. The ninja that Sasuke had kicked began to get up again, and Sasuke pounced into action, getting behind his enemy and cutting the nape of his neck. Sasuke looked at the two ninja he’d killed and felt some regret, he’d taken the lives and dreams of those men away, he’d taken them away from their families. He almost wanted to throw up at the fact that he’d taken a human life. Sasuke hardened his heart, they would’ve did the same thing to him. He couldn’t think that way, or else he’d lose and they’d have no regrets.

 

In the middle of the arena, he’d heard Shukaku yell “Wind Release: Sand Buckshot!” Huge bullets of sand were scattered across the arena. Before Sasuke had a chance to react, Kakashi was in front of him and Sakura. He’d made some quick handsigns and said “Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!” Kakashi slammed his hands into the ground and a wall rose up from the ground to protect Sasuke and Sakura from the sand bullets. “Go find Naruto! The genjutsu probably put him to sleep, you’ll be safer with numbers.” Kakashi ordered. “I’m on it Sensei” Sakura yelled, off to find Naruto.

 

Two sound dashed at Sasuke from opposite directions “Sasuke Uchiha huh? We’ll grow famous for snuffing out the last Uchiha.” they said. Sasuke merely jumped and kicked both of them simultaneously. He’d staggered both of them. Sasuke pounced on the one to his right side, pulling out a kunai and stabbing him straight in the heart. The other sound ninja began to lash out “Brother!” he yelled, running at Sasuke. He’d made a handsign and multiples of him appeared. A simple clone jutsu? Sasuke wondered. He jumped into the air and made the correct handsigns. “Fire Release: Great Fire Ball Jutsu” Sasuke said, building up chakra in his belly and blowing it out as a huge fireball. The fireball hit the enemy and the air begin to stink of the smell of a burnt corpse.

 

Shino had begun to be overwhelmed by the sand siblings. He was fighting both Temari and Kankuro at the same time. He was losing the fight but he had been holding on, just barely. Sasuke took notice of this and ran over to help him. “You take the puppet-master, he was your fight anyways. Are you good enough to fight, seems like you’ve been hurt” Sasuke said, noticing Shino’s cuts and wounds. Sasuke began squaring off against Temari. He dashed to her, and aimed a low kick to get her off her feet. He landed his kick, but Temari with grace and skill, back-flipped, and gained some distance.

 

“He’s a close-up fighter, and his speed is no joke. I have to keep my distance.” Temari thought. Temari waved her fan, and a blade of wind was sent at Sasuke, he jumped up to avoid it. Temari dashed and swung her fan downward towards Sasuke, hitting him in the gut, and sending him into the stands. Sasuke grimaced, her fan had some weight to it, he couldn’t allow himself to get hit by it again, nor her pesky wind. Temari used her fan to glide downwards to him, and Sasuke made quick handsigns “Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder!” he yelled, sending lightning at Temari. Temari simply smirked and swung her fan “Sickle Weasel Jutsu!” her blade of wind easily overtook Sasuke’s lightning, slicing through Sasuke. “Wind always beats lightning.” Temari bragged. Sasuke disappeared, he’d replaced himself with a log.

 

“And fire always beats wind.” Sasuke said from behind Temari, he made quick handsigns “Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!” Sasuke yelled spitting out a volley of small fireballs. Temari waved her fan, creating some wind, hoping to repel his fireballs, but she’d only made them bigger. Kankuro who was fighting Shino nearby “Temari!” he yelled, trying to use his puppet to move her out of the way. “W-why can’t I move my puppet.” he asked frantically. “I had my bugs eat through your puppet’s joints. You won’t be able to move him anymore.” Shino informed him. Kankuro had to watch as Sasuke’s fireballs found their mark, inflicting Temari with serious burns.

 

Kankuro ran to his sister, scooping her up and he began to flee. “What about Gaara?” Temari asked weakly. “We have to save ourselves first, we can worry about him after. Besides our Sensei is in the battle, he’ll look after him.” Kankuro said. He would come back for his brother, but he had to save his sister first. Shino felt a pang of pain, he realized he must’ve been poisoned somehow. He has a lot of wounds so he couldn’t tell where it was coming from, but won’t be able to fight anymore.

 

“Sasuke, thanks for the help. I’m afraid I probably can’t fight anymore from now, I must’ve gotten hit by his poison. But I’m grateful, it could’ve been worse.” Shino said. “You’re welcome, make sure you get some attention for your wounds as soon as you can.” Sasuke replied genuinely. Shino walked away, trying to look for a medic. Sasuke scanned the battlefield, taking everything in. Jiraiya and Naruto were fighting Shukaku, he was surprised to see that Naruto was fighting along a legendary Sannin, but Jiraiya was obviously carrying the fight. Gai was thinning the numbers of the enemy Shinobi, Sakura was sticking close to Kakashi, providing some support with her genjutsu. Although minor it seemed she was helping. There were casualties though, Sasuke didn’t see anyone he’d known that had fallen, but there was various ninja and people in the crowd who had. The Shukaku’s widespread Sand Bullet attack wiped out a large portion of the arena and the Hokage and Orochimaru were still fighting.

 

Sasuke decided he go continue to help in the war, and he was stopped in his tracks by no other than Kabuto. “Sasuke… you’re coming with me.” Kabuto said. Unaware of Kabuto’s betrayal Sasuke asked “Where? Are you helping out in the war?” Kabuto was cunning and realized an opportunity when it was presented to him. “Yes, I need your help on the outskirts of the village to take out the gigantic snake.” Kabuto gestured towards the 3-headed snake that Sasuke could see from even inside the arena. “Hold on, why are you even at the arena? I thought you quit the Chunin Exams, why even come?” Sasuke questioned him. Kabuto was unscathed, and they were at war. Every available ninja should be fighting. “I like to watch the fights.” Kabuto lied easily.

 

“What have you been doing this entire time then? A genjutsu put almost everyone to sleep, and if you were able to resist it why didn’t you join the fight? Don’t tell me you did join the fight either, because you are unscathed.” Sasuke asked, his suspicion growing even more. Kabuto hands began to glow blue “Let’s cut the crap. I’m taking you with me, and if you try to run I’ll cut a hamstring or two in your legs. It’ll make it much easier for me, and it’ll be very painful for you.” Kabuto said seriously.

 

“Who are you really? Or should I be asking who do you work for?” Sasuke asked.“I’m Kabuto Yakushi, same as I told you. I’m a spy under Orochimaru. My job was to gather information for Orochimaru’s usage. I gathered information on all of the Chunin hopefuls. Especially ones that interested Orochimaru such as yourself.” Kabuto said, pushing his glasses up. “You knew me as a mediocre Shinobi from Konoha, but that was just a role of many that I’d played, I’ve been waiting for this invasion so I could finally be rid of this village.” Sasuke had been given a significant amount of useful information to the village. He made a mental note to tell Kakashi everything Kabuto had said. “But what happened to the Kazekage? What did you guys do to him?” Sasuke asked, trying to subtlety reach into his shuriken pocket. “Oh him? We took him out of the way before we invaded the Leaf. His body is rotting in the sands outside of Suna. Lord Orochimaru masquaraded as their Kazekage and got them to invade the Leaf and they jumped at the chance.” Kabuto said, bragging slightly. “Sasuke… don’t think I didn’t notice you reaching for your Shuriken” He said while dashing towards Sasuke. Kabuto was much faster than Sasuke anticipated, Sasuke barely had time to react. He sent his chakra to the soles of his feet, and jumped as high as he could and threw his shuriken. Sasuke made quick handsigns and yelled “Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Nail Crimson!” adding fire to the shuriken he threw. Kabuto slammed his hands on the ground “Earth Release: Earth Style Wall” Sasuke’s flaming shuriken collided with the Kabuto’s earth wall, and they effectively stopped his shuriken.

 

Sasuke dashed towards Kabuto and activated his Sharingan. Engaging Kabuto in a quick bout of Taijutsu. Sasuke had the upper hand due to his in battle speed, and his Sharingan’s enhanced visual prowess. Sasuke threw a punch and it landed on Kabuto’s lip, making it bloody. Kabuto simply licked his lips and smirked “I see why Orochimaru seeks you. You are a true heir to the Sharingan. Besides, Itachi’s grown too powerful for even Orochimaru to defeat, so he had no choice to go for the youngest Uchiha.” Kabuto said, cursing himself because he didn’t mean to let that last part slip. “What do you know about Itachi? Do you know his whereabouts?!” Sasuke demanded. “No, but if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.” Kabuto sneered.

 

Sasuke jumped back from Kabuto, and began making handsigns. He started gathering lightning nature chakra to his right hand. “Chidori!” he yelled. He ran at Kabuto faster than he ever had before and ran his Chidori through Kabuto’s shoulder. “Now you’ll tell me everything you know about Itachi, and why Orochimaru is seeking me out...or else I’ll drag this Chidori down to your heart!” Sasuke said darkly. Kabuto began chuckling. “I’m impressed Sasuke, but I’m not telling you anything… and you’re coming with me.” Kabuto said simultaneously with a voice coming from behind Sasuke.

 

Sasuke felt a sharp pain and a popping sensation in the back of his left leg, it had become very hard for Sasuke to stand. It took all of his strength to remain standing. Sasuke turned around to see a second Kabuto.“I tore one of your hamstrings. It’ll be hard to walk, let alone fight for a while. The only reason I’m not going any further because Orochimaru doesn’t like damaged goods.” Kabuto said cruelly. “How are there two of you?” Sasuke asked. “It’s my Dead Soul Jutsu” Kabuto said as the “Kabuto” that Sasuke had hit with his Chidori dropped to the floor and died. “I can temporarily make a corpse live again, it looked like me because I changed the face. You never even fought me.” Kabuto said cockily.

 

Sasuke tried to kick with his good leg, and it was futile. He wasn’t able to successfully shift his weight to his bad leg, to complete the kick. Sasuke cursed internally, he wouldn’t be able to push through this. On the bright side he doubted that Kabuto would injure him further, specifically because Orochimaru wanted Sasuke relatively undamaged. Kabuto scoffed at Sasuke’s futile efforts to fight. “I told you that you won’t be able to fight. Don’t be a fool and injure yourself even further.” Kabuto said.

 

A kunai had flew at Kabuto from behind him, Kabuto dodged and the kunai and it still cut off a strand of his hair. Sasuke and Kabuto looked up simultaneously to see a ticked off Kakashi. “I don’t take too kindly when people hurt my students.” Kakashi said, dashing towards Kabuto. Kabuto pulled out a curved kunai and Kakashi pulled out a standard Kunai. They began moving at speeds Sasuke couldn’t perceive without using his Sharingan, he’d deactivated it due to the toll it was taking on his chakra reserves. He had heard the sounds of steel clashing, and he saw two figures clash in the distance that he assumed was Kabuto and Kakashi.

 

Sasuke’s strength gave out, and he’d fell to the ground. Sasuke was able to get back on his feet, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to get very far without assistance. Sasuke was disappointed in his own weakness, he sat down with his back to the wall, and he simply watched. Kakashi had the upper hand in the Taijutsu battle, he was able to stab Kabuto in his collarbone. Kabuto was barely able to retaliate by using his chakra scalpel to disable Kakashi’s arm. He’d be unable to make any handsigns. “I disabled your arm, you won’t be able to use any one of those one thousand jutsu you’ve copied. Not for a while at least.” Kabuto sneered.

 

“Unfortunately for you I have an original jutsu, and it only takes one hand to use.” Kakashi said, in a matter-of-fact tone. Kakashi’s hand began to spark and make the signature chirping sound. “Lightning Blade!” Kakashi yelled getting behind Kabuto quickly. Kakashi thrust his Lightning Blade into Kabuto’s back. Kakashi made sure not to hit Kabuto’s heart, hitting his lung instead, so he could bring him in to Ibiki later. “I’m taking you in.” Kakashi said, pulling his arm out of Kabuto. “You can try” Kabuto said, dashing into the crowd and disappearing. Kakashi sent chakra to his nose, enhancing his smelling ability to around Inuzuka levels. He began trying to pick up Kabuto’s scent and he’d noticed that it was scattered throughout the arena, impossible to track.

 

Kakashi cursed internally because he’d let a treasure trove of information get away. Kakashi realized that Sasuke was still there, and that he was hurt. He turned back and walked to Sasuke “You okay?” he asked. “I’m injured, he got my leg. He said he’d cut a hamstring so I probably won’t be able to fight anymore.” Sasuke said. “The battle is seems to be ending anyways. Did you get any information out of him?” Kakashi asked.

 

Sasuke nodded “Yeah, he said he worked for Orochimaru as a spy, and that he gathered information on the Shinobi here, especially ones that Orochimaru had an eye out for. Orochimaru killed the Kazekage and he was able to replace him to fool Suna, and trick them to invade the leaf.” Sasuke informed Kakashi and his eyes widened. Suna was also the victims of this invasion, even though they didn’t know it yet. “He also said that Orochimaru is seeking me out, which is why he tried to take me then. He said that he wanted me because he isn’t strong enough to defeat Itachi.” Sasuke said bitterly. If his brother was even more powerful than the Sannin that was causing this war, how could Sasuke hope to beat him? Sasuke pushed the thought out of his head, but he knew it would plague him. He had to get stronger. If he couldn’t beat the underling of someone weaker than Itachi, he wouldn’t be able to beat Itachi himself. “Don’t let it get to you Sasuke, I can tell that it’s eating at you already.” Kakashi said noticing the change in Sasuke’s demeanor. Since Sasuke started living with Kakashi, he’s been able to read him sometimes. He knew that all issues concerning Itachi was sensitive information, and could easily trigger Sasuke’s anger.

 

“Also, the information that you got from the enemy should be very valuable. It’ll go a long way.” Kakashi informed him. Kakashi wanted to rejoin the battle, but he also felt obligated to stay alongside Sasuke, even though Sasuke’s a ninja who could take care of himself. He’s also Kakashi’s comrade, and he’s grown to be even closer than his regular comrades. Sasuke had looked out onto the battlefield. Jiriaya had unleashed his Swamp of the Underworld into the part of the arena where he and Naruto were fighting the Shukaku. Naruto had kicked Gaara, waking him up and making Shukaku go away. Most of the enemy ninja in the arena had fled or been defeated. The barrier that had been blocking off the fight between the Hokage and Orochimaru had dropped and 5 figures fled from the arena.

 

Kakashi had noticed and he yelled “Lord Hokage!” and he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Kakashi arrived at the rooftop to see that the rooftop had gained some extra décor. Trees had been sprouted somehow. Kakashi’s heart dropped when he saw body of the Third Hokage, and his summon, Enma by his side. “That brat Orochimaru...” Enma growled, and disappeared. “The Hokage sacrificed his life, and he sealed away Orochimaru’s arms.” A nearby Anbu said. “My Sensei was a true Shinobi till the end…” Jiraiya said. Kakashi was still processing the information he had been given. The longest reigning Hokage, who’ve been around to instill the Will of Fire into multiple generations of Shinobi, gone.

 

“Konoha was successfully able to survive the invasion, most of the Shinobi had either fled or died. The Jinchuuriki is defeated, and the village is safe. This invasion is finally over.” Jiraiya declared. Kakashi pulled Jiraiya to the side and let him know the information that Sasuke had divulged to him. “Kakashi you said Sasuke had told you all of this? How did he find this out?” Jiraiya asked. “He learned it while he was engaged in combat with the enemy. The enemy was a spy of Orochimaru’s and he’d tried to take Sasuke away.” Kakashi said. “Anyways, I have to get back to him now. I left him alone while he’s injured.

 

Kakashi went back to Sasuke. “Is the invasion finally over with?” Sasuke asked. “Yes, now we’re going to get the rest of our team, access your injuries and get you healed.” Kakashi said. Sasuke tried to get up to no success. Kakashi stooped down and threw Sasuke’s arm around his neck, freeing up some of the weight on Sasuke’s bad leg. They’d found Naruto and Sakura together in some of the stands. Sakura had only minor injuries while Naruto had some deeper ones, but not too threatening.

 

Sakura took note of Sasuke’s inability to walk and asked “What’s wrong Sasuke?” Sasuke who immediately let go, to sit down in one of the stands that didn’t have any bodies or gore on it. “I tore one of my tendons fighting an enemy ninja. You guys know him, he’s Kabuto.” Sasuke said, remembering how he had tried to trick Sasuke into coming with him. Both of his teammates eyes opened “Kabuto?” they both questioned. “Yeah, the same one who quit. Turns out he’s a traitor who’s working with Orochimaru.” Sasuke answered.

 

“Anyways, I’m proud of all three of you. You guys have come far. Let’s go treat some of the wounds you guys have.” Kakashi smiled. “Hold on…” Naruto said. “What happened to that guy I just fought?” Naruto asked. “Lord Jiraiya will probably bring him in for interrogation.” Kakashi said. “No! Look he isn’t there anymore.” Naruto pointed to where Gaara was laying and he was gone. Sasuke realized what had happened “I fought his siblings, the other sand ninja. One of them was still able to move. He probably came back to get his brother.” Sasuke said. “Either way, we still have to get you guys to the medics. Let’s go.” Kakashi said.

 

A few minutes later they had gotten to the hospital was filled with wounded. Some with far more serious injuries than Sasuke and the rest of Team 7. “I should’ve known. With the invasion the hospital was bound to be filled to the brinks. Kakashi glanced at Team 7 and evaluated their injuries. Sakura’s injuries were minor, Naruto had some deeper cuts and bruises but they seemed to be healing up on their own, but Sasuke couldn’t walk without help. He needed medical attention more than the rest of them. “Naruto and Sakura you guys are free to go unless you want to stick it out. I’ll be waiting here with Sasuke to get his injuries treated.” Kakashi told his team. “Well, see ya later Sasuke. I’m going back home, I hope it wasn’t destroyed in the invasion.” Naruto said, leaving the hospital. “I’ll get going too. I have to check on my parents, I know they’re probably worried.” Sakura said, walking out.

 

“You did good during the invasion Sasuke. I meant what I said, I’m proud of you guys.” Kakashi said. “Thank you.” Sasuke replied. They’d waited for a couple of hours until they saw Shino come out of one of the hospital rooms. Shino walked over to them. “Sasuke? What happened to you? You seemed fine when we were fighting together.” Shino questioned. “An enemy that I fought shortly after you left tore my hamstring. Forget about that, you got the poison removed?” Sasuke asked. “Yes.” Shino replied simply, walking out.

 

“When did you two fight together?” Kakashi asked. “We had fought the other Sand siblings. The girl that uses the fan, and the puppet-master. They were strong, but they we handled it. Shino had gotten poisoned by the puppet user.” Sasuke said. “Seems like you all went through a lot. You guys should consider yourselves lucky that you guys got off without any life-threatening injuries.’ Kakashi said, thinking back of his first taste of war. “We’re ready for the next patient.” The nurse said, coming out into the reception area. “That’s us, Kakashi said, getting up. Sasuke needed to lean onto Kakashi to be able to walk. They’d followed the nurse into the doctor’s office. “Our doctor will be with you shortly.” The nurse said, walking back out.

 

Five minutes had past and a doctor walked into the office where Kakashi and Sasuke were waiting. He evaluated Sasuke’s leg and said. “It seems you have a torn hamstring. I would normally send a medic ninja in to speed up your recovery process, but they are being used on patients with more severe injuries. You’ll have to recover the traditional way.” The doctor left the room and immediately came back with a pair of crutches. He handed them to Sasuke. “You’ll have to use these for a couple of weeks until you can recover. Try to stay off your feet as much as you can. Vigorous activity will only make your injury worse and it’ll take even longer to recover.” Sasuke groaned internally. A couple of weeks was much too long.

 

The first week, Sasuke had attended the Third Hokage’s funeral with the rest of his team. He didn’t know the Third Hokage as well as the rest of the village did, but he was a kind man. Sasuke didn’t know how to feel about it though. He was sad that a great man had passed, but he’d also felt that he wasn’t genuine about it because he didn’t truly know him. Sasuke didn’t speak much while he was there, not even to Kakashi. When they’d gotten back to the house Kakashi informed Sasuke that with his information, Suna found their Kazekage. After that they’d surrendered completely and started to forge an alliance. “Your information helped out the village tremendously, more than you know.” Kakashi said, praising Sasuke. He thought Sasuke would probably get promoted to Chunin because of the information he’d gathered, and that was an important part of being a Chunin. Sasuke had also contributed to the war effort, and he was an Uchiha.

 

The next week Sasuke had been feeling better slightly. He didn’t have a full range of movement with his leg, but he was able to walk on his own with only mild discomfort. Sasuke tried to run and his leg started to hurt severely and he had to stop. He was supposed to meet up with Kakashi at a tea shop to discuss furthering his training. Sasuke began to walk over to the tea shop. To Sasuke’s surprise Kakashi had gotten there first. Asuma and Kurenai were also there, and they seemed to be chatting with Kakashi before Sasuke walked over. When Sasuke walked up he’d thought he’d seen two figures in black cloaks, but when he looked again they had vanished. Kakashi shared a look of concern with the other Jonin nearby “I have to go Sasuke, something came up. Go back home and we can talk about your training later. You shouldn’t be walking too much anyways.” Kakashi said, disappearing in a puff of smoke. Asuma and Kurenai left as well.

 

Sasuke felt that something was amiss, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He’d decided to just go back to Kakashi’s place and wait until Kakashi came back to ask. An hour later Gai was carrying Kakashi over his shoulder and he placed Kakashi on his bed. Kakashi was asleep and Sasuke tried to wake him up, to no avail. Sasuke was distraught “What happened to Kakashi!?” he asked, demanding information from Gai. Asuma and Kurenai also walked in shortly after Gai did. The Jonin exchanged looks and the Gai was the one to speak up. “Kakashi and the rest of us got into a fight with a couple of strong enemies. He was attacked mentally, and he’s been asleep every since.” Gai said. Sasuke wasn’t buying this story completely. An enemy strong enough to put Kakashi in this state? If there was a battle and multiple Jonin was involved it would be bound to attract more Shinobi towards it. Sasuke checked the other Jonin for injuries, Asuma had a cut on his shoulder, Kurenai wasn’t too injured. Gai was uninjured completely. Sasuke deduced that Gai probably came to the fight once it was concluded based on his lack of injuries completely, he also was the one that got here the fastest.

 

Aoba burst through the door of Kakashi’s house and blurted out “Is it true that Itachi had returned and that he’s chasing Naruto?!” the other Jonin loudly groaned and Asuma even called him an idiot. Sasuke’s heart dropped, Itachi was back in the village? He was chasing Naruto?! Naruto wouldn’t have a chance in hell against Itachi. Sasuke burst out the door without a second thought running to the place that Naruto visits the most in the village, Ichiraku Ramen. Sasuke’s legs hurt badly but he fought past the pain, he arrived at Ichiraku’s soon after and ran up to the owner. “Have you seen Naruto?!” Sasuke asked frantically. “Yeah, he left with Jiraiya of the Sannin. Big guy with white hair. They were going out of town, take the road down to the hotel or something” He said. Sasuke dashed out of the Ramen Shop, he’d known where that was and he knew that it wasn’t far.

 

Sasuke’s legs were hurting badly, but he was ignoring all of the pain. He’d known that Naruto would probably be safe with Jiraiya as he’s a Sannin and would be able to hold off Itachi, but he still had to confront Itachi. It was finally time for him to avenge his family, his clan. Sasuke’s eyes sensing his emotional turmoil, activated on their own without Sasuke’s knowledge. He’d reached the town and he entered the first hotel he’d saw. “Hey have you seen a kid with blonde hair and an old, tall guy with grey hair and red markings down his cheeks.” Sasuke asked. He didn’t have time to keep wondering around when his legs felt like they were on fire. “Yes I do, their room is down the hall and to the right.” Sasuke began to ran again, and quickly found Itachi, and some guy he’d never saw before, who looked like he was getting ready to draw the gigantic blade behind him. Itachi was facing Naruto, who had looked shaken. They were wearing black cloaks, like the guys he’d saw at the tea shop. Sasuke realized that he’d already seen Itachi and cursed himself for not noticing it earlier. They must’ve been the ones that Kakashi had fought and lost to.

 

Sasuke then had a sliver of doubt in himself. If _Kakashi_ had fought Itachi and lost, what could Sasuke hope to do against him. Sasuke pushed that thought away aggressively. Standing before him was the man who’d slaughtered his clan in one night, who’d tried to wipe the Uchiha clan from history forever. He’d killed everyone that Sasuke loved. Sasuke couldn’t afford to doubt himself. He _had_ to do it, he didn’t have a choice, he had to avenge his family. It was his task, and his alone, as the only survivor of the massacre. “It’s been awhile… Sasuke.” Itachi said. The guy next to him said something but Sasuke didn’t hear it. All he’d heard was Itachi’s words. Sasuke’s heart began to fill up with anger, pain, rage, and then he felt nothing. His face turned steely and it showed no hint of emotion at all. Sasuke exclaimed “I will kill you!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading everyone. I'm looking forward to writing the next chapter and seeing people's reactions to next chapter. It's going down. Hope you all are enjoying my very first story on AO3. Peace!
> 
> \---Ruumi


	6. Encounter with Itachi

 

Naruto: A Different Path

“ _I will kill you!”_

Sasuke’s heart surged. The day he’d been waiting for had arrived, the day he’d confront Itachi. Sasuke started gathering lightning chakra to his hand. As he did he said “Itachi… I’ve been wanting to say this to you. I cultivated my hatred, living my life for only one purpose, to end your life.” Sasuke said darkly. He reached out with his dominant hand, showing his Chidori and revealing his peeling skin. “I’ve lived for this!” Sasuke yelled. Sasuke roared and ran to Itachi, putting both hands behind him, he thrust his hand at Itachi. Itachi grabbed his wrist with ease, and redirected his Chidori at a nearby wall. His Chidori punched a solid hole in the wall, letting in the light from outside.

 

Sasuke was irate. All that training, learning the Chidori, increasing his speed for nothing. He glared into the eyes of Itachi, and Sasuke had begun feeling a sinister chakra in the room. He glanced back at Naruto to see him building the same reddish-orange chakra he had used during his fight with Neji. The chakra of the Nine-Tails. Itachi noticed it as well. “You’re in my way Sasuke. Just like you’ve always been.” Itachi said, breaking Sasuke’s wrist cleanly. Sasuke screamed out, he’d almost passed out from the pain itself. But he couldn’t, he had to fight, anyway he could. He didn’t even hear Naruto call his name as Itachi had broken his wrist.

 

He saw Naruto try to make handsigns and he began saying “Summoning Juts-” but he was cut off by Itachi’s partner pulling out his sword. Itachi’s partner seemed to just cut the air, but Sasuke’s sharingan saw different. He saw how Naruto’s chakra was just there and it disappeared, like it just vanished. Then he looked at the sword itself, and how a chakra seemed to grow inside it. Kisame began to swing his sword again, but he was intercepted by an armored frog. Jiraiya had appeared behind Naruto carrying a woman on his shoulder. They began chattering about a woman, and how Itachi had put a genjutsu on her to distract Jiraiya from Naruto. “So you are after Naruto?” Jiraiya said seriously. “Yes, one of our goals is to abduct Naruto.” Itachi said. Sasuke wondered why they’d be after him, and then he remembered that he’d had the Nine-Tailed Fox inside of him. Of course Itachi would be interested in something like that.

 

“You won’t get Naruto.” Jiraiya declared. “Why not?” Itachi asked simply. “Because I’m going to kill both of you here and now.” Jiraiya said confidently. “This is my fight!” Sasuke almost shrieked. “You can’t kill him it has to be me. It was my clan he murdered and it was my family he took away. I have to be the one to kill him, that’s the only way it can happen. Nobody else!” Sasuke said. The influence of the Curse Mark started to affect Sasuke. He was feeling slightly stronger, like he would be able to fight. “You are of absolutely no interest to me right now. Foolish little brother.” Itachi said, barely even acknowledging Sasuke’s presence. “Well get interested!” Sasuke said and began running towards Itachi sluggishly.

 

Itachi moved quicker than Sasuke could react and hit Sasuke in his abdomen. Sasuke immediately began spitting blood from his mouth. Itachi chopped Sasuke in the back of the neck, and followed it up with a kick to his side. Everything was hurting on Sasuke’s body and he couldn’t even put his hands up to defend himself. “How did I grow so weak? Why is the difference between us so high? What have I been doing this whole time? There’s no difference between the massacre and now. Have I not changed at all? Am I still the same as I were when I came home and found my family slaughtered?” These thoughts began to plague Sasuke’s mind and Sasuke began to fear that they’d be there forever. Sasuke collapsed from his exhaustion. His body had been pushed past the limit of what it could take. He’d run when his torn hamstring was still recovering, his wrist had been broken, and he had cracked several ribs.

 

Sasuke awoke in a hospital bed. He didn’t know how much time had past since his fight – well if he could even call the beat down he’d received a fight – with Itachi. Sasuke looked up to see his team standing next to his hospital bed. “Sasuke you’ve finally awoken!” Sakura said, reaching out to hug him. Sasuke begrudgingly allowed it to happen. “Bout time, glad you’re back.” Naruto said. “How long were I out. “A couple of days. You were exhausted, your hamstring was already torn, and you ran on it. You broke your wrist, and you’d cracked several ribs. Your body gave out on you, giving you the rest you needed.” Kakashi said, from the bed beside him. Sasuke hadn’t even noticed Kakashi was in the room.

 

“Let me talk to Sasuke alone.” Kakashi said, and the rest of Team 7 left. “It was incredibly dumb of you to chase Itachi on a torn hamstring, right after seeing that I was defeated by him myself.” Kakashi said bluntly. “I had to! You know that Kakashi!” Sasuke said, lashing out. “I was so much weaker than him Kakashi. He beat me to a pulp… I was powerless against him. It was like I was a kid again, unable to do anything to protect myself or anyone else. I felt useless, like I’d been wasting all my time for nothing. I have been wasting all my time here for no reason! Konoha hasn’t gotten me any closer to my goal.” Sasuke said. “You haven’t been wasting your time here. Nobody gets as strong as Itachi at your age, you have to stop blaming yourself!” Kakashi said, getting louder.

 

“Itachi did. We share the same blood, and Itachi was much stronger than I was at this age. He was Anbu at this age! I feel like I’m not progressing enough, and unless I start something has to change!” Sasuke yelled. Kakashi sighed, he knew this conversation had been coming for weeks but he still felt like he wasn’t prepared for it. “Sasuke you’re scaling yourself against a mountain. Let’s face it, there are _very_ few Shinobi that are as strong as Itachi. Even fewer that are your age. You need time to develop. You are still young and you have so much potential! We can develop it.” Kakashi said, almost pleading with Sasuke.

“Be grateful, you didn’t even get the worse of what Itachi dished out.” Kakashi said, remembering and shuttering at his 72 hour-straight torture, that took place in the span of 3 seconds in the real world. “Is that why you were asleep when I came back to the house after you ditched me?” Sasuke asked, wondering what ability in Itachi’s arsenal caused Kakashi to be asleep and unable to wake up for a long time. “Yes… I was comatose. Your brother used the Mangekyo Sharingan to use a particularly powerful genjutsu on me called Tsukyomi. I was tortured for 72 hours in his genjutsu dimension, but in the real world only 3 seconds had passed. I just was able to wake up today with help from the new Hokage. She’s a healer, and the best one there is. Which is why your wounds are healed so quickly, even the hamstring you torn a while ago” Kakashi said. Sasuke was surprised that Kakashi had known about the Mangekyo Sharingan. It seems like Kakashi knew more than he let on. Sasuke didn’t even notice that all the physical pain he’d felt was gone. The new Hokage had to be pretty good.

 

“72 hours of torture? How are you functioning?” Sasuke asked seriously. He’d need to know if he wanted to face Itachi again. “Like I said, the Hokage healed me, specifically my mind. She repaired some of the psychological damage that the genjutsu had done to me” Kakashi said. “Speaking of her she wanted to see you. Go to the Hokage’s office to meet her, she’s okay but don’t trigger her temper. You might not live to regret it.” Kakashi warned.

 

Sasuke walked out, with his thoughts surrounding Itachi, and his own weaknesses. He’d arrived at the Hokage’s office and she wasn’t what he’d expected. Sasuke expected some hag, but he found a blonde woman who appeared to be in her early twenties with blonde hair. “Hey, you’re the Uchiha right?” She asked. “Yeah, I heard you were looking for me?” Sasuke replied simply. Tsunade threw a flak jacket at Sasuke and he caught it with genuine surprise. “You’re promoted to Chunin. I’ve heard about the information you provided to Kakashi, and it was passed on to Jiraiya, who passed it on to me. It saved the Leaf some hassle kid, good job. Also heard that you’re a decent Shinobi, and that you have a head on your shoulders unlike another kid I know on your team.” She said, and Sasuke couldn’t help but smile a little. “You’re dismissed, and be on your toes, we’re lacking manpower, the invasion left us crippled. The workload will increase for all ninja, don’t be surprised if you’re assigned as the leader of a squad sooner than later” the Hokage said. “Hokage… thank you for healing me. I appreciate it.” Sasuke said, disappearing in a puff of smoke.

 

Sasuke had a lot on his mind. He’d fought Itachi, and lost. He felt numerous emotions boiling under the surface. Anger, sadness, pain, rage. Those were feelings that were all familiar to him. But some of them he didn’t understand. He’d felt an odd sense of relief, like a burden had been lifted off of his back. He didn’t know why he’d felt that way but he rejected that feeling. He couldn’t be relieved yet, Itachi was still out there somewhere. Sasuke embraced one thing though, strength. He needed to get stronger, at all costs. It didn’t matter what devils he had to negotiate with.

 

Sasuke stopped to put on his flak jacket that he’d almost forgotten he was carrying. It was pretty snug and it had pockets for various things. Sasuke continued to wonder around the village, not knowing where he wanted to go for the time being. He ended up at his old house. The construction on it was more than half way done. Sasuke wondered to his old home the Uchiha District. He wavered when he walked in, but still advanced. Sasuke walked into the Uchiha’s armory. Besides their Fire Release and their Sharingan, the Uchiha were also renown for their usage of ninja tools. Sasuke would look around until he saw something that appealed to him. He looked around aimlessly until his eyes fell upon a sword. He’d opened the sheath and it revealed an impressive looking katana. The guard was shaped like a starand the blade had the Uchiha crest near the guard. Sasuke had reached for it and once he’d grabbed it, it felt like it was made for him. He’d need to train, but he didn’t know any sword users in Konoha so he’d be pretty much on his own.

 

Sasuke walked into the Uchiha library… hoping to find some scrolls on ninjutsu. He’d needed something else to practice, as practicing would help him keep his mind off his loss to Itachi. He poured through the scrolls, looking for anything useful. He came across a scroll detailing a jutsu called Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation. The scroll said that it was the pinnacle of Uchiha fire jutsu, and you unleash a sea of fire onto your opponents. Sasuke put this scroll in one of his chest pockets, and left the Uchiha compound for the time being.

 

Sasuke went back to Kakashi’s home to look for Kakashi. He’d wanted someone to spar against so he could get used to his new sword and even try out the jutsu he’d saw in the scroll. Instead he’d found Naruto. “What are you doing here?” Sasuke asked. “I was looking for Kakashi Sensei so I could ask him to train me. Jiraiya’s busy with something and I wanted to get some training in.” Naruto replied. He then began eyeing Sasuke’s flak jacket, realizing Sasuke had been promoted. “You got promoted to Chunin?” Naruto asked, he was now ticked off at Tsunade that he didn’t get promoted. He’d fought Kabuto for crying out loud, and helped beat Gaara. “Yes, the Hokage promoted me a little while after I woke up.” Sasuke said.

 

“You know, I came here looking for a spar. Originally it was going to be Kakashi but are you interested?” Sasuke asked. He didn’t really know how strong Naruto had become. He’d seen him beat Neji, and help fight Gaara, but he still didn’t know exactly how strong he was. “I’ll fight you, I’ve been waiting to since the Chunin Exams.” Naruto said grinning. “Meet me at the training field where we did the bell test.” Sasuke said, disappearing in a puff of smoke.

 

Naruto arrived at the training field, to see that Sasuke was already there. “I need to learn that jutsu you used to leave Kakashi’s house.” Naruto yelled. “Ask Kakashi.” Sasuke said simply. Sasuke and Naruto both looked up at each other and began dashing. Naruto swung a right hook at Sasuke, Sasuke dodged and kicked Naruto backwards. They began to engage in a flurry of Taijutsu, both of them landing punches and kicks on each other. Sasuke pulled out his sword and Naruto began making Shadow Clones. Sasuke’s sword felt heavy in his hands, he wasn’t used to having the extra weight on him and it made his moves more sluggish. Naruto’s clones began to surround Sasuke, running at him from all directions. Sasuke slashed through half of Naruto’s clones and Sasuke sheathed his blade and jumped in the air making quick handsigns “Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder!” Sasuke said, releasing lightning from his hands at the remaining Naruto clones.

 

The real Naruto was nowhere to be found and all of a sudden he’d been kicked in the back, by what seemed to be multiple Naruto’s. Naruto had transformed his clones into their surroundings and when his other clones fell, he sprung his attack. Sasuke back-flipped to get some distance and made some handsigns “Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!” Sasuke said, breathing out a half a dozen mini fireballs. They began to hit their targets, taking advantage of Naruto’s clones close proximity to each other. The real Naruto walked towards Sasuke “Well that’s all I got besides my Rasengan. Which I’m not going to use on a comrade. It’s my super awesome killer ninjutsu that’s as even better than the Chidori.” Naruto bragged. “Better than the Chidori huh? Show me then.” Sasuke said.

 

Naruto obligated, making a shadow clone and creating the Rasengan in his hand. He then rammed his Rasengan into a nearby try, putting a crater in it. Sasuke was surprised that Naruto had a jutsu that was nearly as destructive as his Chidori. Seems like Naruto was training hard as well. “It’s okay… but it still isn’t impressive as my Chidori.” Sasuke said. They’d both heard clapping from a nearby tree and they looked up to see an amused Kakashi and Jiraiya. “I was looking for you.” Sasuke said to Kakashi simultaneously as Naruto said it to Jiraiya. “I thought you would I was in a meeting with Jiraiya, which is why either of you couldn’t find us. We were surprised when we found you, you guys were fighting.” Kakashi said. “I was looking to spar against _you_ Kakashi. I have a new jutsu I found at the Uchiha compound that I want to learn.” Sasuke said, pulling out his scroll. Kakashi read the scroll and said “Great Fire Annihilation huh? This is one of the Uchiha clan’s stronger fire jutsu.” Kakashi said. “So if it’s an Uchiha jutsu, you probably don’t know it?” Sasuke asked. “Nope, I don’t. But, I can probably help you with it, if you need it.” Kakashi replied. “It doesn’t seem too difficult, I just wanted to test it on someone.” Sasuke smirked. Kakashi also noticed the hilt of Sasuke’s sword. “I’m assuming you got the sword from the Uchiha armory?” Kakashi asked. “Yeah, I’m deciding to take up Kenjutsu as well.” Sasuke said.

 

“Anyways, I’ll see you later. I’ve got better things to do than just chat.” Sasuke lied. Sasuke walked away wondering the village until night fell. Sasuke was near a forest area in the village. He’d been training his Kenjutsu, trying to adjust to the extra weight of his katana. Sasuke didn’t see the four figures that had begun to surround him as he was lost in his thoughts. Sasuke didn’t know where to go from here. He wanted a direct route to power. Enough power to be able to contend with Itachi. He didn’t know who could offer him that. The Leaf and Kakashi? Orochimaru? He didn’t know the right route to follow and it was eating at Sasuke. He felt like he still wasn’t progressing enough. That he could do more, but he didn’t know how. Sasuke had been faced with this inner conflict since his defeat against Itachi.

 

The four ninja that had been surrounding Sasuke appeared in front of him, revealing themselves. “Who are you guys?” Sasuke asked getting into a defensive position. “We’re the Sound Four.” they said simultaneously. “I’m Kidomaru” the six armed man said. “The name’s Tayuya.” the only girl among the group said. “I’m Jirobo.” said the stockiest one. “I’m Sakon.” said the last one. They began moving and Sakon dashed Sasuke, Sasuke blocked punches and kicks and it seemed like they’d had a lot of weight behind them. Sasuke kicked Sakon square in the chest making him fly back. The bigger one tried to punch Sasuke and he grabbed his arm and threw him over his shoulder, using his momentum against him. Sakon jumped into action, using his brothers arm as well as his own to strike Sasuke. Sasuke blocked it and it still felt a lot of pain from it. Sasuke swung a kick at his head and he was surprised once it was blocked with two right hands. Sakon swung and hit Sasuke in the stomach with two left hands, sending Sasuke into a nearby tree.

 

Sasuke used his chakra to stick to the tree and activated his Sharingan. He’d saw a spider web coming towards him and he’d jumped into the air kneading fire chakra in his belly, making the correct handsigns “Fire Release: Dragon Fire Jutsu” Sasuke spit flames at them, and it was blocked by a wall of earth Jirobo had created. Sasuke felt a presence behind him, and Sakon had punched him in his back and Sasuke spit blood. Sakon aimed a low kick at Sasuke and wasn’t fast enough to dodge it. Next thing he know Sakon was holding him by the foot, dangling him in the air.

 

“I don’t know why Orochimaru wants you so much, you’re a weakling.” Sakon sneered. Tayuya walked up to him and said “If you keep playing with these clowns in Konoha you’ll be weak just like they are. They’re only stunting your growth, your _strength_! Come with us! If you do Lord Orochimaru will give you strength, just like he did for us.” Tayuya said, and Sakon threw him into a nearby tree. Sasuke crumpled to the ground painfully. “Are you going to come with us or what?!” Sakon demanded answers. “There’s no point of taking you with us if you’re just going to run away. Orochimaru is a pain when it comes to things he wants, I should just kill you.” Sakon said darkly.

 

Sasuke’s Curse Mark began to spread across his face and his Sharingan activated. “Try it then!” Sasuke growled. Sasuke jumped at Sakon and Sakon activated his own Curse Mark, and kicked Sasuke in the chest. Sasuke looked up and saw Sakon’s Curse Mark and Sakon said “You’re not the only one that Orochimaru gave the Curse Mark to.” as he said it the all of the others activated theirs. “Don’t just use the Curse Mark carelessly, or it’ll invade your mind and make you insane. You’ll lose your free will forever.” Sakon said. “What’s your purpose in life? Will you forget it, and continue to dawdle in this pathetic little village?” Tayuya asked. “What about Itachi Uchiha?” Sakon added. “What about him?! He’s stronger than Orochimaru. If he wasn’t then Orochimaru would be going for him instead.” Sasuke yelled.

 

“Even if Orochimaru isn’t stronger than him, if you add you powers to his, you may be able to defeat him. The Leaf isn’t going to help you reach your goal either. You’ll get much closer with Orochimaru. You’ve been at the Leaf all your life, and you have nothing to show for it. You are weak! Orochimaru can give you strength. Simple as that. He doesn’t care if something is illegal, frowned upon or unorthodox, strength is the only thing that matters to him in this world. He will give you strength, but don’t expect it to be free.” Sakon said. “Don’t forget your purpose!” Sakon added as the Sound Four vanished.

 

Once they left Sasuke’s face twisted into a look of pure rage. He roared into the open air. Sasuke had to leave, it was the only path available for him. His encounter with the Sound Four just re-affirmed all the things that he was insecure about. He was weak, he’d been wasting time in Konoha and he wouldn’t achieve his goals unless he left the village. Sasuke had no choice but to go. He didn’t want to, but it seemed like the only option he had. He’d be a missing ninja, an outlaw and be featured on bingo books. Sasuke didn’t want that type of life for himself, but he _had_ to fulfill his goal. It was his duty to avenge his family, there was nobody left to do it. It had to be him. To do it he has to gain power, more power than anyone in Konoha can provide for him. Orochimaru, although weaker than Itachi could make him stronger much quicker than anyone else he knew of. Sasuke couldn’t refuse that.

 

Sasuke went back to Kakashi’s place and put all of his possessions into his backpack. He was careful not to wake Kakashi. He would be sad to leave Kakashi out of everyone the most. Sasuke wouldn’t admit it to him to his face, but he was like an older brother to Sasuke. The older brother that he didn’t have in Itachi. He trained him, looked after Sasuke, and protected Sasuke when necessary. He was a true friend and Sasuke would leave him. Naruto, as much as he annoyed Sasuke, was his friend and his rival. Even though he was an idiot he was a true friend. He would even come to miss him. Sakura… he’d miss her as well. He didn’t feel the same way that she felt about him, but she was always kind to him. She was a good friend that Sasuke knew he could count on.

 

Sasuke was sure to close the door softly as he left, and Sasuke began to run into the night. Little did he know once he’d left Kakashi opened his eyes. Sasuke arrived near the exit of the village. He looked up and was looking straight into the eyes of Kakashi his friend, teacher, and comrade. He’d taken Sasuke in when when his house burned down, he taught him the Chidori, and most of all he was Sasuke’s friend. “Sasuke… what are you doing?” Kakashi asked. “I’m leaving the Leaf. I can’t be as strong as I need to be while I’m dawdling here.” Sasuke said. “Why do you think that Sasuke?” Kakashi asked. “Because I’ve spent my whole life here playing Shinobi and meanwhile Itachi was out there getting stronger, developing jutsu and god knows what else!” Sasuke yelled.

 

“You can’t compare yourself to him!” Kakashi said. “Why not? We have the same blood coursing through our veins. We both have the Sharingan and Itachi was twice as strong as I am at this age. He became an Anbu captain at 13!” Sasuke roared. “Sasuke, I know you don’t want to do this. I know you don’t actually want to leave. Where will you go?” Kakashi asked, already knowing the answer, but wanting to hear it from Kakashi himself. “To Orochimaru, so he can give me power. Power is what I lack, I can’t accomplish my goal if I don’t have power. If the Leaf can’t give it to me I have to get it somewhere else.” Sasuke exclaimed. “So you’re willing to become a missing nin, take the same path Itachi did for power?” Kakashi asked quietly. That was a low blow for Sasuke. How could he compare him to Itachi?

 

“You’re going to compare me to Itachi?! You know I’m not just doing this for the sake of fun. I need to be stronger by any means necessary. Even if it means becoming a missing nin, even if it means that I have to leave the only place I’ve ever known!” Sasuke yelled. His emotions were at the boiling point. Couldn’t Kakashi understand that it wasn’t a selfish desire? Couldn’t he just let him go? “I can’t allow you to do this… to throw away your life for the sake of revenge Sasuke! I’ve lost everyone I was ever close to Sasuke, just like you. Orochimaru isn’t planning to just teach you and expect you not to give him anything in return. He wants _you_ Sasuke. He’s planning to take over your body once you arrive, Sasuke.” Kakashi yelled.

 

“So be it. If that’s what it takes to defeat Itachi then I can accept that. I’ll make a deal with the devil himself if it means that I can accomplish my goal.” Sasuke said darkly. “Have you considered that if you go with Orochimaru and allow him to take your body, that you’ll just be creating another Itachi!” Sasuke’s eyes widened. “Orochimaru is bent and twisted. He’s done things that would make the Uchiha massacre seem _tame_. He’s a madman Sasuke! If you go to him you’ll just be creating someone else just like Itachi, and nobody knows what Orochimaru will do with a Sharingan. You see how he destroyed the Leaf. You’ll give Orochimaru what he needs to commit even greater atrocities!” Kakashi roared.

 

Sasuke was at a lost for words. Kakashi was right. If he fell into Orochimaru’s hands there’s no telling what Orochimaru would do with the Sharingan. He would effectively be creating another Itachi. This rocked Sasuke to the core. As much as Sasuke hated Itachi and would do anything to enact his revenge, would he risk creating another Itachi? “Sasuke… I know you’ll never stop wanting revenge, that’s okay. I’m not asking you to. I’m asking you not to throw away your life. I’m asking you to stay in the village. I will train you as hard as I can until you’re strong enough. Just give me a chance. Give the Leaf a chance. Most of all give _yourself_ a chance. You don’t deserve a life of running.” Kakashi pleaded. Sasuke considered both options he’d have. Stay with Kakashi and the Leaf and gain strength the slow and steady way, or gain strength quickly with Orochimaru. If he went with Orochimaru he’d become a missing nin. He’d always be looking over his shoulder, Sasuke didn’t want to live that way. Sasuke was also concerned about creating another Itachi. That thought plagued his thoughts and drove his decision. “I’ll stay...with conditions. Once I’m strong enough I’ll be allowed to seek Itachi and kill him. Also, if we ever encounter Itachi on a mission I get to fight him alone.” Sasuke said seriously.

 

Kakashi was concerned about the conditions that Sasuke gave. Fighting Itachi alone is damn near suicide. Kakashi could think about that later. “I accept. Let’s go home Sasuke.” Kakashi said. Sasuke walked back with Kakashi and they’d hardly talked during the way. The Sound Four had been watching Sasuke and were surprised to see he’d turned back. “We have to tell Orochimaru we failed… I’d hate to be the guy to break the news” Sakon said. “Don’t forget, with Kimimaro gone you are our leader. You have to tell him.” Kidomaru said while chuckling. “Shit!” Sakon yelled.

 

The next day Sasuke woke up he felt odd. He didn’t think he’d wake up in the Leaf Village ever again. Sasuke didn’t bother with putting his flak jacket on yet. He’d just put his signature blue shirt and white shorts. Sasuke went to a tailor. He’d wanted to put the Uchiha Clan’s crest on the shoulder part of a black shirt. He’d walked in and was greeted by an older man, his hair was brown and he had warmth in his eyes. “How may I help you today?” he asked. Sasuke gave him his black shirt. “I want the Uchiha crest on the shoulder parts of my black shirt” Sasuke said. “I can do that. Come back in an hour or so.” He said. Sasuke thanked the man and walked out. He’d gone back home and Kakashi was gone. Kakashi left a note it read “Sasuke, the Hokage summoned me for a mission. I won’t be back for a while.” Sasuke walked back out of the door. Sasuke wondered around the village for a while to kill some time and he’d been approached by Izumo. “Lord Hokage’s looking for you Sasuke.” he’d said. “Thanks for letting me know.” Sasuke said as he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

 

Sasuke opened the door to the Hokage office to find Tsunade doing paperwork. “Uchiha, I got a mission for you.” Tsunade said. Sheesh, she wasn’t kidding when she said he would be getting a mission sooner than later. “What is it?” he asked. “There’s a suspected human trafficking ring in a town near the outskirts of the Land of Fire. I want you to find out if it’s real, if it is, eliminate the threat. It requires some stealth because the human traffickers will surely skip town if they know someone is snooping around.” Tsunade said. Human traffickers were scum, the worst of the worst. Sasuke would gladly oblige to hunting them, it would at least take his mind off of things.

 

“Alright, I can do that.” Sasuke said. “This is a C-ranked mission. It could go up to B if there are Shinobi involved, which is usually likely in stuff like this. Form a 3 man team, excluding yourself and leave today.” Tsunade ordered. Sasuke disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sasuke would’ve gone straight to Naruto’s place but he remembered that the Hokage said that the mission required _stealth_. Although Naruto was a formidable ninja and he was Sasuke’s friend, Sasuke knew that Naruto wasn’t a stealthy ninja. Sasuke recalled Naruto’s entrance to their fight against Zabuza and Haku and it was all the reason he needed. “Seems like those days were ages ago.” Sasuke said. Sasuke walked until he arrived at the Aburame district and he’d gone to the biggest house he’d saw. He walked in to see a man who resembled Shino and dressed similar to him as well, he had to be Shino’s father. “I’m looking for Shino for a mission.” Sasuke explained. “He’s at the forest, training with his squad.” the man said. Sasuke thanked the man and walked away.

 

He’d arrived at the forest near the outskirts of Konoha. The same forest where he’d suffered a bitter defeat to the Sound Four. He saw Shino sparing with Kiba. Shino was winning even though Kiba’s family specialized in Taijutsu. “Probably because Kiba wasn’t using his All Fours Jutsu” Sasuke thought. Shino noticed Sasuke and stopped fighting. “Sasuke what are you doing here?” Shino asked. “I hope he’s finally ready for our rematch!” Kiba yelled. “I’m here on business. I wanted you to come with me on a mission Shino. I was made a Chunin and I chose you to be in my squad for the mission.” Sasuke said, ignoring Kiba. “What’s the mission about?” Shino asked. “I’ll explain it once later. Be at the village gate in an hour.” Sasuke ordered. “See you then” Shino said. Sasuke walked away, heading to the next member of his team’s home.

 

Sasuke arrived at the Hyuuga compound and he’d found Neji sparring with Hinata. Hinata was fighting fiercely and Neji was dodging all of her attacks. Hinata began to stop once she’d saw Sasuke and Neji looked like he was wondering why until he saw Sasuke as well. “Sasuke? What are you doing here?” Neji asked. “I need you for a mission. Meet me on the village gate in an hour.” Sasuke said. “How are you able to get me for a mission? Aren’t you still a Genin?” Neji asked. “Nah, I was made a Chunin.” Sasuke said, as he walked out the door. Sasuke wasn’t planning on getting his last pick originally, but he saw the benefits of having a genjutsu user in a stealth mission. He tried to find Sakura at her home and she wasn’t there. She eventually found her at a training ground. She couldn’t practice her genjutsu on a target dummy, so she was practicing her taijutsu. She was throwing kicks at punches at the target dummy. Sasuke called Sakura’s name and she didn’t seem to hear it.

 

Sasuke used a bit of his speed to get in front of her and Sakura’s cheeks began turning rosy once she saw him. “Sakura, meet me at the village gate in an hour. I need you for a mission.” Sasuke said. “A mission? Who else is on the team?” Sakura asked. “Shino, Neji, and you.” Sasuke replied. “Why not Naruto?” Sakura asked. “This mission requires stealth. We both know Naruto isn’t capable of that.” Sasuke joked. “How are you able to lead a team?” Sakura asked. “I’m a Chunin now. I forgot to tell you guys that, a lot of stuff was going on.” Sasuke said. “Anyways, be ready to go on this mission. I’ll see you at the village gate in an hour.” Sasuke said, disappearing in a puff of smoke.

 

Sasuke arrived at the tailor's and he gave Sasuke his shirt back. He’d wear it under his flak jacket so he Uchiha crest would still be visible. He walked back to Kakashi’s place. He’d packed his bag, ditched his white shorts in exchange for more standard Shinobi pants. He tightened his Konoha forehead protector and put on his flak jacket. The Uchiha crest was shown proudly the sleeves of the shirt he had on under his flak jacket.Sasuke fastened his swords sheath to his back. Sasuke walked out of Kakashi’s house, the third place he’d ever called home. When he did a smile touched his lips. If he was going to be a Konoha Shinobi he was going to take pride in it.

 

He met his team at the village gate and they were all waiting for him. “Okay, we’re all here. There’s a suspected human trafficking ring in a town near the outskirts of the Land of Fire. Our job is to see if it’s real, and if it is we have to eliminate it.” Sasuke said, embracing his leadership role. “This mission requires stealth, if we make out presence known too early, they’ll probably scram” Sasuke said. “Why’d you pick me? You’ve never worked with me before?” Neji asked. “I picked everyone on this team for a reason. Shino, you’re here because you are a good fighter with experience in tracking. If we find one of them you can place a bug on them to track their movements right?” Sasuke asked. “Yes, quite easily.” Shino said. “Sakura, you’re here because you can use genjutsu. We can use it to gain information, disguise our movements and ourselves.” Sasuke continued. “Finally you Neji. Although I’ve never worked with you or fought with you, but with your Byakugan we can find them before they find us. I also needed another fighter and I couldn’t get Naruto because this is a stealth mission.” Sasuke said honestly.

 

“Good enough explanation for me.” Neji said, the rest of the team nodding. “Alright, now we have to talk about formation. We’ll travel with Shino at front. He can scout out ahead with his bugs and get any useful information back to us. Sakura and I will be in the middle. I’ll be there so I can give orders easier, as I’ll be heard from the front and the rear. Sakura is in the middle as well because she’s the least capable in physical combat and if we’re attacked, she can trap them in a genjutsu while we deal with the threat. Neji, you’re our rear. You can watch our back with the Byakugan and make sure we aren’t being followed by anyone. If we are you can raise the alarm to the rest of us, and if they try to overwhelm you, use your Rotation.” Sasuke ordered, getting tired of talking already.

 

Sakura was amazed at how natural being a leader was to Sasuke. She knew he’d make a great Chunin. “Do you all understand your roles?” Sasuke asked, hoping he didn’t have to repeat himself. His team nodded. “Let’s move out!” Sasuke said, and his team left the village.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally the encounter with Itachi, and Kakashi convincing Sasuke to stay in the village. I hope I made the reasons that he stayed clear. In the manga the thing that pushed Sasuke over the edge was looking at Naruto's growth. Naruto had been the dropout and was weaker than Sasuke for the most part of the story, then Sasuke witnessed him beating Gaara and summoning Gamabunta and overcoming very strong opponents like Neji. Sasuke has an inferiority complex and seeing Naruto succeed in his endeavors worsened it. In my story Sasuke gives most of the credit of defeating Gaara to Jiraiya, and he knows a little bit more about Orochimaru due to Kabuto's blabbing. Sasuke is also very shaken up at the fact that by giving someone like Orochimaru his eyes and body he could possibly be creating another Itachi. This is the reason he ended up turning on Orochimaru in the beginning of Shippuden, along with the fact that he felt Orochimaru was weaker than him. Finally in this scenario, Sasuke has Kakashi. Sasuke isn't dumb enough to think he would be able to get past Kakashi, and also Kakashi has a greater influence on him. He's his teacher, comrade, older brother figure, and his friend. He respects Kakashi, and hes more willing to listen to his arguement. Don't think Sasuke's given up on his revenge, it's nothing of the sort. But with Kakashi's convincing, he's willing to give the Leaf a chance, and not become a missing nin. I hope you guys understand Sasuke's decision. If you got questions ask me. 
> 
> \---Ruumi


	7. First Chunin Mission

Naruto: A Different Path

Sasuke and the rest of the team had been traveling for an hour or so, keeping in their formation. “There’s some bandits up ahead.” Shino informed his team. “How many?” Sasuke asked. “My bugs tell me there’s around 10.” Shino replied. “Alright, bandits shouldn’t be too much trouble. Try not to waste too much chakra on them. Who knows what’s to come once we arrive.” Sasuke cautioned. They’d arrived at a clearing where the bandits were waiting. The bandits began smirking when they saw them. They must’ve thought they were just kids, an easy mark. “Hey kids. Give us all of your valuables, or else!” The biggest one ordered. “What if I refuse?” Sasuke smirked. Three of the bandits began to leap at Sasuke, withdrawing their weapons. Sasuke withdrew his katana from it’s sheath resting on his back. He swung it in a deadly arc at the three bandits and cut through all of them. Sasuke signaled to his team to attack and they sprung into action. 

Neji jumped on the bandits on the left side and began using the gentle fist, striking the tenketsu of one of the bandits. The other one tried to get behind Neji and attack him with his dagger. The bandit was surprised as right before he tried to strike Neji he’d emitting chakra and using his rotation, repelling him away. Neji got behind the bandit and struck his tenketsu in his chest, dropping the bandit. Shino sent his insects to the couple of bandits that tried to attack him. They waved their blades uselessly and the insects began to jump on them, devouring their chakra. Sakura made a handsign “Genjutsu Binding” she said softly. The man in front of her stopped dead in his tracks. Sakura drew her shuriken and her hands began to shake, she was hesitating. Sasuke noticed this and threw his own shuriken at the bandit that she’d trap. “Don’t hesitate Sakura, they won’t.” Sasuke ordered. Neji and Shino began to come towards the last couple of bandits as they’d finished their fights. The bandits began to run and Sasuke made a handsign and said appeared before them in a puff of smoke. The bandits in front of him tried to attack Sasuke and he stabbed his sword into one of their kidneys, killing them quickly. The other one tried to run again and Sasuke sent a shuriken into the back of his skull. 

Sasuke turned back “If we encounter any more bandits be sure not to let them escape. If they are associated with the human trafficking ring they’ll just go back and raise the alarm. We can’t let that happen.” Sasuke ordered. “Don’t you think we should’ve kept one alive to see if they had any information?” Neji asked. He’d had a good point, Sasuke was too focused on not letting them escape and didn’t think to consider that they’d had valuable information on the human trafficking ring. “Yeah, you’re right. We’ll be sure to leave one alive next time for interrogation. Good idea, Neji.” Sasuke said. They continued their journey, running through the trees for another couple of hours.

They’d arrived outside of the city at a hill overlooking it. The city seemed to be in a festival. People were jubilant, dancing, enjoying alcohol and they seemed genuinely happy. “Pretty strange that a city which human trafficking is suspected in is so vibrant.” Shino said. Sasuke had the same thought. “Let’s transform, we stick out as sore thumbs as Shinobi.” Sasuke said, making a handsign and transforming. He’d transformed into an adult male. He was wearing clothing similar to the city folk, as to not arouse suspicion. The rest of his team followed his lead. Sakura transformed into a woman that looked suspiciously like Tsunami from the Land of Waves. Sasuke gave her questioning look and Sakura said “I’d been thinking about them lately, that’s why I transformed into someone who looked similar to Inari’s mom.” 

Shino and Neji both transformed as well, into adult men. “Alright, let’s split up and search for information. Bars are the perfect place to pick up on chatter and bartenders usually know all the local gossip and information. So let’s split up and each search a bar. After a couple of hours we’ll meet up back here at this hill.” Sasuke ordered. “I’ll have my bugs posted around the city, if they hear anything concerning human trafficking I’ll know.” Shino said quietly. “Good plan, now spread out.” Sasuke said. He’d hung back to see what bars that the others would walk into. Just in case he needed to come find one of them, or if they’d needed help. 

Sasuke arrived at a bar called Mustang’s. He walked in and sat at the bar. The bar wasn’t very big at all, but there were people there and they were chattering. Sasuke thought he’d be able to gain some valuable information from here. “Looking for a drink?” the bartender asked. The bartender was a redheaded woman with freckles splashed across her nose and cheeks. “Yes.” Sasuke said back. “Alcoholic or non-alcoholic?” she asked. Sasuke almost instinctively said non-alcoholic but he’d thought about it. It’d look suspicious if he didn’t get a drink in a bar. “Alcoholic.” Sasuke replied. “What would you like?” she asked. “I’ll take some sake” Sasuke replied. The bartender had pulled out a bottle of sake and a small glass. She’d poured him a drink and gave it to him. Sasuke leaned in “Have you heard about anything strange in this city?” he whispered. “Strange like what?” she asked. Sasuke wanted to ask her but he didn’t want to straight out say human trafficking. “Have you heard about disappearances… around the city.” Sasuke questioned, taking a swig of his sake to not arouse suspicion. 

Sasuke almost immediately spit it out, but he had to keep in character so he just swallowed it. He couldn’t help but made a face. “Don’t have a taste for sake eh?” the bartender asked. “Not really. But back to the topic at hand.” Sasuke said, trying to redirect the conversation. The bartender leaned in “Yeah, I have heard of disappearances in the city, people are disappearing everyday. I don’t know to where, but people are just vanishing into thin air.” she whispered. So there was human trafficking in this city. He’d just have to find out where it was coming from. “The people who are disappearing? Who are they?” Sasuke asked. “It’s mostly women. Young women usually in their teens or adults.” she said. So it was likely to be sex trafficking. That made sense, if it were women being taken and not men. If it were both men and women, or just men, it would be working camps or something similar. “Thank you, take care of yourself.” Sasuke said, putting money on the bar for his sake, and some extra for the information. 

If they were taking women then Sakura was in danger. He knew she could handle herself against untrained people. But if Shinobi were involved like the Hokage expected, she could be in trouble. Sasuke began walking to the bar that he’d saw Sakura go in. This bar was much busier than the last one he was in, and he found Sakura sitting at the bar. Sitting next to her was two big guys and they seemed to be trying to flirt with Sakura. “Come on lady. Hit the town with us, we’ll show you a good time. We can even go to the casino.” One of them coaxed. Sasuke gritted his teeth but he didn’t want to break his or Sakura’s cover. Sasuke sat in the back of the room and observed to see how Sakura would handle this herself. 

“No, I’ve got to get home. My father would be very concerned if I didn’t get back home on time.” Sakura lied. “Well let me walk you home.” the other guy said. “Alright, come on. Follow me.” Sakura said. Sasuke wondered what she was doing. As Sakura and one of the guys left, catcalls began to ring out, and people started saying how lucky the guy was. Sasuke decided against following Sakura, she could handle herself. Sakura led the guy to a less populated part of the city. “Why do you live all they way out here?” the man asked. Sakura began to crack her knuckles and said “I don’t.” as she said it, threw a right hook at the man, knocking him out. Sakura went back to the meeting point and waited for the rest of her team. It had been a half an hour since Sakura left. Sasuke assumed that she was either in trouble, or she was at the meeting point. He walked out of the bar and head towards the hill overlooking the city. When Sasuke got there Sakura and the rest of his team had been there waiting. “What did you do to the guy you left with?” Sasuke asked. “I clobbered the idiot.” Sakura said simply. 

“Did anyone learn anything?” Sasuke asked, saving his for last. “I’ve heard only bad things about the casino. I heard that under any circumstances that you don’t let anyone give you a drink there.” Neji said. “That makes sense. Some of the goons that Sakura encountered at her bar tried to talk her into going to a casino. It could be their base.” Sasuke said. “Anyone else learned anything?” he asked. “I’m sorry I couldn’t really learn much. Those idiots started bothering me as soon as I walked into the bar.” Sakura said. “You learn anything Shino?” Sasuke asked. Shino shook his head. “I learned that people have been disappearing in this city. I heard that it’s mostly girls that have been disappearing. I suspect sex trafficking.” Sasuke said lowly. His team got quiet for a while. “So know we know there is trafficking here and we have a suspected location, let’s go.” Sakura said. Sasuke shook his head “No, we can’t go out to the casino tonight. We need some rest. We’ll also need new transformations tomorrow. Let’s go to a hotel for now to rest.” Sasuke said. 

Sasuke and his team checked into a hotel and Sasuke being the team leader, paid for everyone begrudgingly. He could afford to because he was the last Uchiha in Konoha and he’d had an inheritance set in place. That inheritance took care of his living expenses and stuff like clothing. He couldn’t use the rest of it until he was old enough. Sasuke’s home was always paid for, and he’d never had to pay the costs of living so he was able to save his money. Sasuke was still rather frugal though, so he didn’t really like spending money unless he had to. He’d paid his team’s way for the mission because he’d asked them to go on this mission, not the opposite. It was only right for him to make sure they’d been taken care of. 

They rested for the night and killed time during the next day. They waited until night to leave the hotel and change their transformations. They’d made their transformations look wealthier, and wear more lavish clothing. They were going to a casino after all, they didn’t want to look out of place. The casino was at the back of the city. It was extremely bright and vibrant outside as it was equipped with colored lights and a fountain. Once Sasuke walked inside he noticed all the slots and blackjack tables. At the dining area there were scantily dressed women serving people food and drink and he’d noticed all the guards walking around as well. Before he could go in fully there was a man at the door and he’d asked for their ID. Sasuke kicked himself because he didn’t think about needing ID. He saw Sakura make a handsign and she’d whispered to all of them “Give him you ninja identification card. I put a genjutsu on all of ours to make it look like normal ID with the correct age.” Sasuke pulled out his ninja identification card and it had the picture of his transformation’s face and a fake name on it. He handed it to the guard and the others did the same. “You’re good to go.” he said, and they’d walked in. 

“Your genjutsu saved us back there Sakura. Nice thinking.” Shino complimented. “Nice job Sakura.” Sasuke said. She was actually becoming pretty good at genjutsu. It had surprised Sasuke. “We should spread out, see if we can find anything that proves human trafficking is going on here.” Sasuke ordered. “Be careful of the guards. I have a hunch that they work for the human traffickers so be on your guard. If you see any shinobi don’t engage them yet, unless they attack you.” Sasuke warned. 

Sasuke began sitting at the slots near the dining area. He remembered that Neji said that he’d found out that it was unwise to take drinks from anyone there. He put some money in to play, as to seem like a normal casino-goer. He didn’t win anything unfortunately. Some time had passed while he had been sitting at the slots. He’d then began observing one of the scantily clad women that were serving people slip something in a drink. She didn’t even have to stir it for it to dissolve quickly, almost instantly. She’d gave it to another woman who’d been sitting at the table with a familiar man. In fact it was the same man who’d been harassing Sakura yesterday, the one she’d left at the bar. “So he was trying to get Sakura here so he could drug her?” Sasuke thought. Sasuke thought about interfering but he decided against it. He’d observe what happened and follow him if he took her anywhere. 

The drug in the drink wasn’t fast acting. After a few minutes the woman began to start getting visibly dizzy. A few minutes later she’d passed out, and the man she’d been talking to swept her up in his arms. The other people around mistaken this for romance, but they didn’t actually see that she’d been drugged. The man began to walk with the woman in his arms and he’d went around the corner. Sasuke got up and went to follow him but the man was gone. He’d vanished. Sasuke went to alert the rest of his team and the first one of them he’d found was Shino. He’d been at the blackjack table and he was observing everything near there. “Shino come with me. I’ve seen something that’s strange.” Sasuke whispered. Shino got up and followed Sasuke. The next person they’d found was Neji. He was at the roulette. He’d noticed them as well and got up. They searched the rest of the casino, looking for Sakura and she was nowhere to be found. “Did they get her?” Shino asked. “They must’ve. We searched the whole casino.” Sasuke replied. 

“I’ll search with the Byakugan. It’ll make this much easier. If she’s still in the casino we’ll know.” Neji activated his Byakugan and scanned the casino. Neji’s eyes widened. “There’s a room that we haven’t seen. It’s surrounded by chakra, I dont know how to explain it. I can’t see inside of it, but I know there’s a room here that’s surrounded by chakra.” Neji exclaimed. Sasuke activated his own Kekkei Genkai and looked. He could see the chakra as well. It was surrounding a pretty large area. “It’s genjutsu. It has to be.” Sasuke determined. If Neji couldn’t see the inside of the room, and it was surrounded with chakra it had to be veiled with a genjutsu. “Sakura probably figured that out. That might’ve been the reason they took her, because she went snooping around.” Shino deduced. 

Sasuke and his team, minus Sakura went to the area of the casino that the room seemed to be at. It was just a wall, near the slots. That must’ve been where the man had taken the woman they’d drugged. “This is it. I saw someone take a woman near here. It seemed like he just disappeared, I couldn’t figure out where he’d gone.” Sasuke said. He’d made a handsign and said “Genjutsu: Kai” the genjutsu around the room was released and a door appeared. This lead to a stairway that was going down. Sasuke, Neji, and Shino followed it. It lead to a huge underground room full of girls, including the one who’d just been drugged. Sakura was among them although she was tied up. Sakura quickly withdrew a Kunai from her pouch and cut herself free. “If you could’ve done that the whole time why didn’t you escape?” Neji questioned. “I didn’t want to raise their alarm, besides I had been comforting some of the girls that were here.” Sakura said. 

“Did they take you?” Sasuke asked. “No. I was wondering about this place. I’d felt something was off soon after we walked in. I eventually discovered the genjutsu surrounding this room, and these girls were all here. I was gonna spring them out, but then a guy had came in, it was the same idiot from yesterday.” Sakura explained. “Did you see the Shinobi who cast this genjutsu?” Sasuke asked. “No.” Sakura replied. “Someone’s coming!” Neji warned. Sasuke quickly transformed into a woman and the others had done the same. The man came in and dragged another woman inside and he began to tie her up. Neji dropped his transformation and chopped the man in the back of the neck, knocking him out. Sasuke and the rest of his team dropped their transformations as well, as it was useless to keep it up anymore. 

“Sakura can you do anything with him?” Neji asked. Sakura sat the man up and made some handsigns, she put her hands on opposite sides of the man’s temples. “Interrogation Genjutsu!” Sakura said. A few moments later Sakura dropped her hands from his head and smiled. “The boss is downstairs. He isn’t the one who cast the genjutsu.” Sakura said confidently. “Downstairs? But there isn’t a downstairs.” Sasuke questioned. Sasuke walked to the end of the large room and she made a handsign. “Genjutsu: Kai!” she said and another door was revealed. “It was a Double False Illusions Jutsu. I should’ve known.” Sakura said. She turned back said to the girls “I’m freeing you all. Cut their ropes.” Sasuke obliged and took out his kunai and cut their ropes. “Aren’t the guards apart of this too? Is it safe to let them leave already?” Shino asked. “No, the guards are just doing their job. They don’t know anything about this.” Sakura explained. “The girls that are serving are in on it though. They drugged the girl that just came here. They might be doing it against their will though.” Sasuke told his team. The girls got up and started to leave. One girl stood back and said “Thank you. You guys are our heroes.” Sakura smiled and Sasuke couldn’t help but smile. He then put his game face back on. It’s time for them to fight whoever had done this. 

“Alright, let’s go downstairs.” Sasuke said, walking through the door. The stairs went down for a while and once they’d finally got all the way down it led to an even bigger room. This room was about almost as big as the casino above them. The rug was a light brown and the walls were painted white. Once Sasuke walked in the one who caught his eye was the leader, or who he presumed to be. He was sitting on a couch in the back of the room. The two other Shinobi were sitting on couches parallel to each other. The leader was a bulky guy who looked to be in his late twenties. He had dirty blonde hair that was tied back in a ponytail and some of it was in his eyes. He seemed to have a permanent scowl on his face and he wore a Kumo headband with a slash through it. He wore a white half-vest with a black long sleeved shirt under it.. He wore black pants with white stripes at the knees. He carried a blade on his back as Sasuke did. The others ninja were a young woman with purple hair in a pixie cut. She was wearing a similar outfit as their leader but she had a black shirt under her vest. The last ninja was a male with jet black hair. He wore the same white vest as the other two with a grey short sleeved shirt under. 

Their leader laughed loudly and said “These guys wondered to the wrong place. But I suspect they weren’t wondering. They had to have some skill to break your genjutsu huh Emiko?” Emiko pulled out a kunai and began cutting her finger nails. “Yeah, a little bit of skill. But all they really need to be able to do is recognize a simple genjutsu and use Genjutsu: Kai, it’s not too hard.” she said, barely even acknowledging them. The one with jet black hair spoke up. “Hey Ryuu, I think that’s an Uchiha. He has their crest on his shirt.” he gestured towards Sasuke. “You might be right Tetsuo. He has the jet black hair and onyx eyes that most of their clan had. I guess we’ll see when we trade blows.” Ryuu said. “We freed those girls you guys had tied up. It’s over for your little operation.” Sasuke said confidently. “Over for our operation? I doubt that. You might’ve freed those girls, but that was just today and yesterday’s haul. We’ll get plenty more and auction them off as usual to the highest bidder.” Ryuu sneered. 

“It’ll end today, because we’re going to defeat you, here and now.” Sasuke smirked. “Kid do you even know who you’re talking to? I’m Ryuu Sato! Former Blademaster of Kumo. I was a Tokubetsu Jonin until I defected.” Ryuu declared. “I’m Emiko Tomura, former Chunin of Kumo.” Emiko added. “And I’m Tetsuo Matsui, also a former Chunin of Kumo.” Tetsuo said while standing up. “I’m tired of talking, I never cared much for it anyways.” Tetsuo said while dashing at them. Sasuke’s pulled out a kunai but he was intercepted by Neji “I’ll fight this one.” Neji said. Tetsuo punched Neji square in the chest, sending him behind Sasuke. 

Ryuu began eyeing Sasuke and reaching for his blade. Sasuke reached for his own, and Ryuu was already in front of him. “A bit of advice you won’t live to use… always have your hand ready to draw your blade at all times. Cause soon as I saw you I was getting ready to draw my own.” Ryuu swung at Sasuke and he blocked it with his arm and he still was sent back. “This guy’s strength is crazy.” Sasuke said to himself. Shino prepared to fight and his bugs started to come out. Sakura was beside him. “If this one uses genjutsu I’ll fight along Shino so she won’t trap him.” Sakura said, pulling out a kunai. Sasuke’s attention was focused on Ryuu and Sasuke withdrew his blade. Before he could fully withdraw it, Ryuu swung his blade and nearly cut Sasuke’s wrist. Sasuke activated his Kekkei Genkai and sprung into battle. He withdrew his blade this time, using his Sharingan to help him avoid Ryuu’s blade. 

“I guess Tetsuo was right, you are an Uchiha. Guess I’ll snuff out the last of that clan here it seems.” Ryuu snarled. Sasuke began swinging his sword at Ryuu furiously and Ryuu easily parried him and slashed Sasuke’s side. Sasuke immediately winced and Ryuu got behind him and kicked him, sending him flying across the room. Sasuke was getting off the ground, and he’d saw Ryuu above him swinging his sword down in a deadly arc, trying to behead Sasuke. Sasuke was barely able to bring his sword up and block him. Sasuke rolled over and got to his feet, making quick handsigns “Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder!” Sasuke yelled, sending lightning at Ryuu and he’d used the sheath of his blade to block it, astonishing Sasuke. “The sheath’s made of rubber kid. Kumo is filled with Lightning users, and I’ve sparred with them all my life.” Ryuu ran at him and Sasuke jumped into the air and made handsigns “Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!” Sasuke spit five fireballs at Ryuu and Ryuu began to run through handsigns and his blade began to ignite. “Cloud-Style Flame Beheading!” Ryuu exclaimed, and slashed the fireballs that were sent at him, making them fizzle out. Sasuke mimicked Ryuu’s handsigns with his Sharingan, and ignited his own blade. “I forgot the Uchiha’s have a thing for copying ninjutsu. It’s pretty annoying.” Ryuu complained. 

He then dashed at Sasuke and took a swipe at Sasuke’s head. Sasuke blocked it, using two hands because of Ryuu’s strength. Ryuu kicked Sasuke, sending him across the room, as Sasuke was falling backwards he threw some shuriken at Ryuu and he blocked them skillfully with his blade. Before Sasuke could even land, Ryuu dashed at Sasuke and elbowed him in the gut, making him spit blood and fly into the nearby wall. Sasuke got back to his feet and put his guard back up again. This guy was strong, no wonder he was a Jonin even if he was only a Tokubetsu Jonin. Ryuu made a handsign and a clone appeared. Ryuu and his clone began to run, switching positions several times so Sasuke wouldn't be able to tell which one was the real Ryuu. They began spinning like tops, with the only hint of them being their swords. Ryuu and his clone simultaneously attacked Sasuke from both directions, slashing his chest in the shape of an X. “Dance of the Lightning Dragon!” Ryuu yelled as his clone exploded, electrocuting Sasuke as well. 

Sasuke’s chest was cut open, cutting through his flak jacket. His flak jacket might’ve been the thing that stopped him from dying because the cut didn’t go deep enough to do fatal damage, but it hurt like hell. The sword wound, and the electrocution. Sasuke fell to the ground, deactivating his Sharingan and feeling the urge to give up. He then began to feel the influence of the Curse Mark seeping in, it’s power almost seducing Sasuke. Sasuke couldn’t fall here, he had to fulfill his goal, and he couldn’t abandon his team. They’d needed him as well, if he failed it wouldn’t be just his life on the line. It would be his team’s as well, and he knew they were no match for Ryuu, Sasuke could barely keep up with his movements even with his Sharingan. Sasuke rose to his feet, resisting the urge of the Curse Mark. As if it could sense Sasuke’s determination not to lose here, his sharingan began to blaze. 

Ryuu turned around to see that Sasuke was back to his feet. “So you didn’t die from that huh? I’ll correct that now.” Ryuu smirked and ran at Sasuke once more with his tremendous speed, only his speed wasn’t so tremendous anymore. Sasuke could see! Sasuke’s third tomoe on his Sharingan had developed. He saw Ryuu’s muscles coiled, when he took his step towards Sasuke. Sasuke could see his how his hips were getting ready to swing with full force to the right, and he saw Ryuu clutch his sword even tighter as he did. Ryuu swung with his sword to the right, exactly like Sasuke saw he would and Sasuke ducked. Sasuke saw how Ryuu was going to try to kick him with his left foot, before he could Sasuke withdrew his own blade and stabbed him in the abdomen. Ryuu began to clutch his now bleeding abdomen and Sasuke pounced, adrenaline surging through the body. Sasuke hit Ryuu with an uppercut before he could recover, making him take a couple steps back. Sasuke began to gather Lightning Release chakra to his right hand. “This fight ends now. Chidori!” Sasuke yelled, closing the distance between them and thrusting his hand through Ryuu’s chest, penetrating his heart and ending his life. Sasuke withdrew his bloodied hand from Ryuu’s chest and he let out a sigh of relief, it had been one of his harder battles. As Sasuke removed his hand from Ryuu’s chest he fell, and his back had finally touched the ground.

“Two palms..” Sasuke heard Neji say. He looked over to see that Neji got into the correct stance. Neji seemed bruised, but other than that he didn’t have any serious injuries that Sasuke could see. Tetsuo’s eyes widened when Neji began striking his tenketsu in quick succession “Four palms, eight palms, sixteen palms, thirty-two palms, Eight Trigrams Sixty-four Palms!” Neji shouted, hitting him sixty-four times and shutting down his tenketsu. Tetsuo flew into a nearby wall and he didn’t get back up. He’d looked over to observe Shino and Sakura’s fight which was still in progress. 

“Lightning Burial: Banquet of Lightning!” Emiko yelled, making quick handsigns. She sent several lightning bolts at Sakura and Shino’s feet they’d both jumped to avoid the lightning but the lightning chased them off the ground as well. Shino pushed Sakura out of the way of the lightning and it’d struck him, but Shino disappeared into a swarm of bugs. Sasuke looked at Sakura and saw that she’d made a handsign as Shino pushed her out of the way. Emiko dashed at Sakura with a kunai, intending to kill her. Shino’s bugs had come from her blindside and began to consuming her chakra. “But how?! I thought I’d gotten rid of the kid with the bugs.” She screamed. Sakura smiled and said “Nope, what you fried was a clone of Shino. I used a genjutsu to make you think that you had gotten Shino himself.”

Emiko dropped to the ground after her chakra had been devoured by Shino’s bugs. Shino joined the rest of his team. “Those guys were pretty tough.” Shino admitted. “Yeah, especially that Jonin.” Sasuke replied. Sakura walked towards him “Are you going to be okay with those wounds?” she asked, in a concerned tone. Sasuke felt a wave of pain “Yeah, probably. We have to spend the night at the hotel again. We can leave tomorrow.” Sasuke said. He was pretty tired. He had the right to be. He’d beaten a Jonin, someone the same rank as Kakashi. He was getting stronger after all, maybe not at the pace he’d wanted, but he’d saw progress, most of it coming from his training with Kakashi. The Chidori, learning lightning release, and his speed, all came from Kakashi. He needed to give him more credit. 

Sasuke and his team went upstairs and everyone had been gone. They must’ve heard the fighting from up there and left. “There weren’t any other people involved in this? Or do you think it was just the Shinobi that we fought?” Neji asked. “I hope there isn’t anyone else involved in this. I doubt I’d even be able to put up a good fight against those bandits right now. I’m exhausted.” Sasuke admitted. They’d walked out of the casino and arrived outside of the hotel. “Don’t forget, we have to change back into our old transformations to get back in our room.” Shino informed them. Sasuke transformed into his transformation from earlier and walked into the hotel and checked back in. Once they’d gotten back to their hotel room he’d collapsed onto his bed and fell into a deep slumber. 

When Sasuke awoke his team was already up and dressed “Sorry to keep you waiting. I was pretty beat up last night.” Sasuke said. “That’s fine, you deserved to sleep. Are your wounds alright? They seemed pretty serious” Shino said. “They’ll be fine I’m sure. They hurt like hell though.” Sasuke replied. Sasuke had gotten up and began to shower and get dressed. He’d still felt the pain from his wounds throughout his body. Once Sasuke had gotten dressed and went to put his flak jacket back on, he saw that the X shaped slash was gone. “It must’ve been Sakura.” Sasuke thought. He’d appreciated it a lot. He walked out of the bathroom and they began to check out of the hotel. Once they’d gotten to their meeting spot, the hill overlooking the city Sasuke whispered to Sakura “Thank you. For mending my flak jacket. I appreciate it.” She shook her head. “Thank you, Sasuke. For everything. Choosing me for this mission, giving me the advice that I should learn genjutsu, and for being on my team. I wish I could’ve done more. I saw your wounds, they’re terrible. I know you have to be in a lot of pain. I just wish I could’ve done more.” Sakura said, looking into Sasuke’s eyes. 

Sasuke looked at the rest of his team. “Let’s get back home.” he said. They began to jump into the trees and several hours later they’d arrived at Konoha. The trip had taken longer than it did initially because of Sasuke’s injury and his team noticed it. He didn’t stop to rest so he’d lagged behind his team. They’d slowed down to accommodate him. “I know I dragged you all to this mission, but we worked pretty well together. Take care of yourselves.” Sasuke said. Before anyone could reply though he made a handsign and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sasuke walked over to the Hokage’s tower, to look for Tsunade. She was doing paperwork at her desk as usual. “I finished my mission.” Sasuke spoke up. “Was there an actual human trafficking ring there? Did you deal with it?” Tsunade asked. “Yeah, it was a sex trafficking ring. They were capturing girls, drugging them to make it easier for them. They were operating out of a casino. The general public didn’t know much about it because they’d veiled the parts of the casino they were operating out of with a genjutsu.” Sasuke informed her. “A genjutsu eh? So there were Shinobi involved? Who were they and how many?” Tsunade replied. 

“There were three. They were all former Kumo ninja. One of them was a Tokubetsu Jonin named Ryuu. He was their leader. The others were former chunin. We dealt with them.” Sasuke said. “A Kumo Jonin named Ryuu? You mean Ryuu Sato, the former Bladesmaster of Kumo? You should be thankful you survived.” Tsunade said in a surprised tone. “I’m very thankful I survived, seeing that he almost killed me. I have an X-shaped slash on my chest, it’ll probably scar. I barely beat him.” Sasuke explained. Tsunade’s medical instincts kicked in. “Are you okay? If you go to the hospital I’ll send someone to heal it up.” “I’ll be fine. But I think I’ll take you up on that hospital offer. It’s been hurting a decent amount.” Sasuke admitted. “Before you go, take your mission rewards. 150,000 ryo for a B-ranked mission.” Tsunade gestured to a bag of money that was sitting on her desk. Sasuke went to pick it up. “Be sure to go to the hospital for that wound on your chest. Your breathing is pretty labored and I can tell that you’re tired. Go rest kid. Good job with your first mission as a Chunin.” Sasuke was surprised that she’d been able to tell his breathing is labored. The Sannin lived up to her name for sure. 

Sasuke had done something that surprised himself. He’d listened to what the Hokage had said and he’d actually went to the hospital. He waited for awhile but when he’d gotten into the doctor’s office Shizune was waiting for him. “Hey Sasuke, I’m Shizune. I’m a student of the 5th Hokage. She told me you were injured, so I came to speed up your recovery. She told you I was coming right?” Shizune said. Sasuke nodded. “Thank you. I appreciate it.” he said. “Take off your shirt, so I can see your injury.” Shizune said. Sasuke obliged and took his shirt off. Shizune looked at the slashes on his chest and said “Pretty nasty injury. If that cut would’ve gone ¼ of an inch deeper we probably wouldn’t be here having this conversation. You also have some burns throughout your abdomen as well. Seems like you were also electrocuted?” Shizune questioned. “Yeah, he had a lightning shadow clone, and they both attacked me with their swords at the same time, cutting me. Then the lightning clone exploded and electrocuted me as well. It was a rough battle.” Sasuke filled her in on the nature of his injury. 

“I’ll begin healing them now. I know it hurts, and standing here talking about your injuries won’t heal them any quicker. Shizune’s hands began to glow green and they began to hover over Sasuke’s chest. Sasuke felt like his wounds were closing up and getting better. After a while, Sasuke’s wound was healed and the only thing he had to prove they were still there was a slight scar. “Well the most threatening of your wounds are healed up. Now I’ll proceed to start healing your burns.” Shizune said, making her hands glow green. 

In the Hokage’s office at the same time. Sakura walked into the Hokage’s office. “You’re Sakura right?” Sakura nodded “Yes, I was just on the mission with Sasuke. After he gave you his report did he go to the hospital? I was pretty worried about him. His injuries seemed to be pretty serious. I wish I would’ve been able to help him out more…” Sakura wavered. “Sasuke made it to the hospital, I sent my student there to speed up his recovery. You said you wanted to do more to help him? Do more like how?” Tsunade asked. “I want to be able to support my teammates in battle in a more direct way. I know genjutsu, and I can tip the battle in our favor that way. But I want to be able to tend to my wounded teammates. Sasuke was a wreck while we were coming back to the village, he was slowing us down because of his injuries. He’d fought a jonin who’d injured him pretty bad. If his injuries were worse, we might not have been able to make it back. I want to be able to prevent that. I want to be able to save my teammates, because they’re always saving me. One of them is a knucklehead and the other is the Uchiha, both of them injure themselves recklessly. If they’re going to be reckless they need someone to take care of their wounds.” Sakura said. 

Tsunade smiled. “You want to be a medic ninja.” she said. Sakura nodded. “I do want to be a medic ninja, and I want to be taught by you.” Sakura declared in a determined voice. “It’ll be a ton of work, and it won’t be easy, not at all. It’s a rough field, there will always be people you can’t save. Those people will plague your thoughts forever. You’ll always ask yourself “What if I trained a little harder? Studied a little harder? Would I have been able to save them?” Believe me, living with those thoughts are the worst part of being a medic. But there are also the people you save, you give them hope again. You let them get back to their families and their dreams. Those moments are the best parts of being a medic. So if you’re absolutely serious about this, I’ll teach you.” Tsunade said. Sakura smiled at Tsunade “Thank you, for hearing me out, and giving me a chance. You won’t regret it at, I’ll work harder than I’ve ever worked at anything.” Sakura said. “Meet me back here tomorrow. That’s when your training will begin.” Tsunade ordered. Sakura walked out of the Hokage’s office full of hope.  
_____________________________________________________________________  
Sasuke walked out of the hospital with most of his injuries healed up. Sasuke walked over to Kakashi’s house and he found Kakashi sitting on his couch. “Sasuke, congrats on your first mission as a Chunin.” Kakashi said. “Thanks, Kakashi.” Sasuke replied. “How was the mission? I heard that you’d gotten injured.” Kakashi asked. “Yeah, I did get injured but it’s better now. We went to a town on the outskirts of the Land of Fire to investigate a Human Trafficking ring. Turns out there was Shinobi involved and I’d fought against a Jonin, and I barely won.” Sasuke said. “A Jonin?” Kakashi asked. “His name was Ryuu Sato, a former Tokubetsu Jonin of Kumo. He was a very tough opponent, I wouldn’t have won if my Sharingan didn’t evolve further.” Sasuke admitted. 

“Ryuu Sato? The former Bladesmaster of Kumo? He’s a pretty tough guy I’ve heard. You said your Sharingan evolved right? Show me.” Kakashi said. Sasuke activated his Sharingan, dyeing his vision red. “You’ve unlocked your third tomoe. Your Sharingan is fully matured now. Your Sharingan precognition gets a major upgrade and it makes it easier to copy ninjutsu.” Kakashi said. Sasuke was proud that he’d fully developed his Sharingan. It’d came in for him at a time where he’d needed it. “Kakashi, speaking of the Sharingan. What do you know about the Mangekyo Sharingan?” Sasuke asked. “The Mangekyo is a level above the basic Sharingan. It grants access to new unique abilities, like the Tsukyomi. I don’t know how to get it, but you should know you have the potential to get it because your brother has it.” Kakashi said. Sasuke would have to figure out how to acquire the Mangekyo, he reminded himself to look throughout the Uchiha compound for information about it. 

“About my training Kakashi? How do you plan on making me strong enough to rival Itachi? What is our training going to consist of?” Sasuke questioned. He’d been wondering what Kakashi planned on teaching him for awhile. “I can train your sharingan, specifically learning genjutsu, which is an area you lack in. I can help you with your nature transformation, both of the elements you use are one’s I know well so I’ll be able to help you in them. I’ll give you strength and speed training as well. I can do all of these things between my missions, and when I have the time. Other than that you’ll be on your own to practice and develop your own jutsu.” Kakashi said. Sasuke was fine with that. He was planning on training on his own a lot anyways. The thing that he was glad he had Kakashi for is his Sharingan training. “Sasuke, I almost forgot to tell you. Naruto is leaving in a couple of weeks with Jiraiya. He’s going on a long training trip, it’ll be about 2 or so years until he comes back to the village.” Kakashi said. Sasuke didn’t know what to think. Naruto was leaving for 2 years at least? He was also going with a Sannin. Sasuke couldn’t let Naruto surpass him, he’d never hear the end of it. He’d have to train harder than he ever had. 

A couple of weeks past and Sasuke had been training a lot on his own. He and Kakashi trained sometimes but not often, due to Konoha accepting more missions to keep up the show of strength to outsiders. When Sasuke was training alone he was focused on his Kenjutsu and learning Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation. When Sasuke first attempted it he’d nearly burned training field to the ground. It took a lot of chakra as well. Sasuke had an idea for a jutsu he’d wanted to create. It was based off the jutsu he’d seen Ryuu use, Cloud-Style Flame Beheading. He was able to copy it in battle but he realized that it had potential. Ryuu was able to infuse his blade with fire. If Sasuke could infuse his blade with the power of the Chidori his cutting power would increase greatly. Sasuke had went to the training fields to figure his jutsu out and he was intercepted by Kakashi when he was halfway there. “Today’s the day Sasuke. Naruto’s leaving.” Kakashi told him. “Already huh? You’re heading to the village gates? I’ll join you.” Sasuke said. 

They began to walk in the opposite direction and they both head to the village gates. Once they’d gotten there Sasuke saw Naruto standing there with Jiraiya and Sakura. “Look who finally made it. Seems like Kakashi Sensei is rubbing off on you Sasuke.” Naruto teased. “Whatever, you’re lucky I even showed up.” Sasuke replied. Sasuke got serious “So you’re leaving, Naruto? Make sure you don’t fall behind in your training loser. If you do you’ll never be able to catch up to me.” Sasuke said. “Catch up to you? I’m already stronger than you!” Naruto exclaimed. Sakura smiled. “See you in two years Naruto. I’ll miss you.” Sakura said. “I’ll miss you too Sakura. I won’t miss Sasuke though.” Naruto laughed. “Good luck in your training Naruto.” Kakashi said. Naruto gave his team a thumbs up, and he and Jiraiya walked away from the village. 

Sasuke turned to Sakura. “What have you been up to? I haven’t seen you in awhile.” Sasuke asked. “I’ve been training with the 5th Hokage. She’s teaching me medical ninjutsu.” Sakura said. “So you’ll be able to heal people like she does? That’s a useful skill to have.” Sasuke replied. Sakura began to walk away “I’m actually supposed to be back there soon. See you all later.” Sakura said, and she walked away. Sasuke turned to look at Kakashi “Well, let’s get back to the training field. I’ve got an idea for a jutsu.” Sasuke smirked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The timeskip is approaching! I'm curious as to if I make a short chapter outlining Sasuke's progress over the timeskip, or should I just skip to the timeskip. Let me know in the comments. Hope you enjoyed this chappy!
> 
> \---Ruumi


	8. During the Timeskip

Naruto: A Different Path

“ _Let’s go back to the training field, I have an idea for a jutsu.”_

 

Sasuke and Kakashi walked to the training field and once they’d gotten there Kakashi asked “What’s the idea that you have Sasuke?” “When I fought Ryuu during my mission he used this jutsu…” Sasuke began making handsigns and withdrew his blade. Sasuke’s infused his blade with his fire release chakra, igniting the blade. “It’s called Cloud-Style Flame Beheading.” Sasuke continued. “Alright, what does this have to do with your jutsu?” Kakashi pondered.

 

“I was wondering if instead of fire, I used the Chidori and infused my blade with it. It would probably increase it’s cutting power more than fire would” Sasuke said. Kakashi put a hand to his chin. “Yeah, you should be able to do that. You’ll have to be careful of chakra usage, because you’ll still be using the amount of chakra you use in a Chidori. You should try it.” Kakashi encouraged. Sasuke made the handsigns for Chidori and imagined himself using the Cloud-Style Flame Beheading. He poured his lightning release chakra into his blade. The Chidori shot through his blade and it was going past his tip of his blade. “Contain it Sasuke, use shape manipulation just like you do when you contain the Chidori to your hand, just contain it to your blade.” Kakashi said. Sasuke clutched his blade with both hands and he saw the Chidori begin to retreat. He’d contained it to just his blade.

 

“Congrats, you did it. What will you call it?” Kakashi asked. “Chidori Blade.” Sasuke said. He then ran to a nearby tree and slashed it, he’d cut it in half without even trying. Sasuke then deactivated his Chidori and used the same amount of effort he’d used with the Chidori Blade and he didn’t even cut halfway through the tree. “Seems it does increases the cutting power of your blade.” Kakashi said. Sasuke began to grin “Fight me, Kakashi. I want to see the difference between us.” Sasuke declared. “I wouldn’t wanna re-open any injuries of yours.” Kakashi joked. Sasuke jumped into action, swinging his blade at Kakashi. Kakashi withdrew a kunai from his pouch and blocked it. Sasuke began sending his Chidori through his blade and it cut straight through Kakashi’s kunai and into his arm. Kakashi disappeared in a poof and Sasuke felt something shift underground and Kakashi tried to make a grab for Sasuke’s leg. Sasuke jumped into the air and made quick handsigns “Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire!” Sasuke yelled, shooting several fireballs at Kakashi.

 

Kakashi made his own series of handsigns “Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!” Kakashi said as a Water Dragon began to form in the water, crashing out and countering Sasuke’s fireballs. It then began coming at Sasuke, but Sasuke landed and dashed at Kakashi, activating his Sharingan and engaging him in quick Taijutsu. Sasuke had the upper hand, and was predicting most of Kakashi’s moves effectively with the Sharingan. Kakashi tugged on his mask revealing his own Sharingan and he began to overpower Sasuke in their Taijutsu bout, kicking Sasuke into the nearby water. Sasuke immediately used his chakra to walk on the water and Kakashi glanced at him with his Sharingan. Sasuke felt like he was being bound by ropes, he tried to break out and they only gotten tighter, and when he’d tried to use his kunai to break out the ropes turned into steel. “Genjutsu!” Sasuke realized that external chakra had been interfering with his mind and he used his own Sharingan push the external chakra out of his head.

 

“That’s a genjutsu you can use with your Sharingan. You can use your Sharingan’s genjutsu for multiple purposes. Interrogation, binding an opponent, controlling their actions, are all ways you can use it.” Kakashi lectured. “It just came out of nowhere. It surprised me.” Sasuke admitted. “I’ll be using it more in our training. You need to learn to recognize genjutsu quicker, and break it faster. This is important because Itachi is a master at genjutsu, he’s one of the best Genjutsu users Konoha ever produced. In your fight with him, you’ll need to be able to break his greatest genjutsu, Tsukyomi. Only someone like you can break it, a true successor to the Sharingan bloodline. I’ll also help you learn to use your Sharingan to cast genjutsu, it’s more useful than it seems.” Kakashi informed. Sasuke nodded, he needed to learn this. Kakashi was right, Itachi was a master at genjutsu. So if Sasuke didn’t get used to recognizing it and breaking it, he’d have a problem when he went to face him. Sasuke was thankful for having someone who actually uses the Sharingan teach him. Kakashi even fought against Itachi himself, he’d seen his strength first-hand.

 

“I have a meeting with the Hokage soon. We’ll have to resume our spar later.” Kakashi said as he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Kakashi arrived at the Hokage’s tower and walked inside the Hokage’s office. “Hey Kakashi.” Tsunade said. “Lord Hokage.” Kakashi replied. “How’s Sasuke’s training going?” Tsunade asked. “It’s going pretty well. But I haven’t really done much yet. He developed a jutsu today on his own. I was only there to help him refine it, and give him someone to spar with.” Kakashi said. “Give yourself more credit. What is this jutsu like?” Tsunade asked.

 

“He calls it Chidori Blade. He’s basically taking the Chidori and infusing his katana with it. When we sparred he cut one of my kunai with it, without a lot of effort. It increases his cutting power greatly as well.” Kakashi informed her. “Impressive, the kid is a genius. There’s always one in every generation. How’s his Sharingan training going.” Tsunade asked. “He was able to fully mature his Sharingan on his mission. So now I’ll be training him to use his Sharingan to it’s full extent. I gave him a taste of this in our spar that we just had. I used a Genjutsu from my own Sharingan to see how quickly he’d pick up on it, and dispel it with his own Sharingan. He picked up on it fast, but it could’ve been faster. The next step is to cast more subtle genjutsu that aren’t as obvious to see if he can pick up on them. Once I’m sure of his ability to recognize and dispel genjutsu quickly with his Sharingan I’ll begin teaching him to cast genjutsu with his Sharingan.” Kakashi said.

 

“That’s encouraging. Don’t let up on him, you’re the only one who can keep him in line. He respects you, even if he doesn’t show it. What else are you planning on teaching him?” Tsunade asked. “I’ll continue teaching him his nature transformation, he’ll figure out most of his training on his own. Like you said he’s a genius, he doesn’t need me to get strong. He needs me to help him master his Sharingan.” Tsunade sighed. “Train him well, thanks for taking him under your wing. He needs the guidance and a friend.” “I know.” Kakashi admitted as he walked out of the room.

 

Over the next few months, Sasuke and Kakashi trained almost all the time when Kakashi and Sasuke didn’t have missions. Sasuke began to refine his jutsu, and develop his own style. He used Fire Release and Lightning Release heavily, and he developed his Kenjutsu. Sasuke began going back into his clan’s compound and began poring into their scrolls about their ninjutsu, traditions, and everything he could find. It was Sasuke’s way of trying to reconnect with his clan. All of this knowledge, traditions, culture would’ve been forgotten, Sasuke wouldn’t let it though. Sasuke was looking through scrolls when he found a scroll detailing a jutsu called Uchiha Return. Sasuke saw the irony in it, but he’d also felt a sense of sadness. He then began reading the scroll and it said that the jutsu is used in coordination with a Gunbai. If the user blocks an attack with the Gunbai it nullifies the effects of the attack, and converts the incoming damage into wind release chakra. This reflects the attack back at the enemy.

 

Sasuke took the scroll and rushed to the armory, looking for the Gunbai he must’ve overlooked on his first trip to the Uchiha Armory. He found the Gunbai, which looked exactly as it had in the drawing in the scroll. He grabbed it and a smirk touched his lips. “I’ll test this out on Kakashi.” he said deviously, disappearing in a puff of smoke. When he’d arrived at Kakashi’s house he saw Kakashi sitting in his chair reading Icha Icha Paradise. “Put down your book Kakashi. I want to test something out.” Sasuke declared. Kakashi didn’t hear him, as he was reading his book with glee. Sasuke used some of his speed to snatch his book away from him and Kakashi’s eyes widened. “I’ll burn it, if you don’t fight with me right now.” Sasuke said. “You don’t need to hold my book hostage to make me fight you. See you at the training field.” Kakashi said, disappearing in a puff of smoke. Sasuke did the same and he arrived at the training field to see that Kakashi was already there.

 

“Put my book in a safe spot before we start. Wouldn’t want to hurt my book.” Kakashi said. Sasuke put the book in his back pocket. “Fine now?” Sasuke asked impatiently. “Yup!” Kakashi confirmed. Kakashi began running at Sasuke and Sasuke activated his Kekkei Genkai. Kakashi threw a kick at Sasuke’s head and Sasuke dodged it to the left. Kakashi began throwing punches at Sasuke and he was able to block or dodge all of them. Sasuke got on the offensive, throwing a jab at Kakashi, but Kakashi was able to grab his arm and twist it, bringing Sasuke to the ground in a choke hold. “Give me my book back.” Kakashi demanded. “No!” Sasuke said from behind Kakashi as his clone fizzled out into electricity. Kakashi aimed a kick at Sasuke and Sasuke jumped into the air to dodge.

 

Sasuke began making quick handsigns in midair “Lightning Release: Thunderbolt!” he said while creating two bolts of electricity in his hands. He release the first one at Kakashi, and he sent a fireball at it to counter his bolt of electricity. Sasuke shot the next one at Kakashi and he vanished from the spot he was standing at. He appeared behind Sasuke and kicked his back, sending him to the ground. Kakashi began making quick handsigns “Here’s a new jutsu of mine, Lightning Release: Lighning Beast Tracking Fang!” Kakashi yelled, gathering lightning chakra to his hand and sending it out at Sasuke at the shape of a hound. Sasuke barely had time to grab the Gunbai off his back and block the attack with it. Once he did, the attack was reflected back at Kakashi in a huge blast that sent him flying backwards.

 

Once Kakashi recovered he walked up to Sasuke “What was that?” Kakashi asked. Sasuke smirked, it’d worked as intended. “It’s called Uchiha Return.” Sasuke said proudly. “It’s some jutsu. Did you get it from the Uchiha compound?” Kakashi asked. “Yeah. The Gunbai as well. It’s pretty durable. I just got it today, I wanted to test it out.” Sasuke admitted. “It’s pretty impressive.” Kakashi complimented him. Sasuke had thought the same. He was surprised that he’d never seen any Uchiha wielding a Gunbai. He hadn’t ever seen his father use one, nor Itachi. “Oh here’s your book back.” Sasuke said, throwing Kakashi’s Icha Icha book to him. Kakashi caught it and clutched it as he did. “I’ll see you later Kakashi. Have fun with your book.” Sasuke muttered as he left the training fields.

 

Sasuke began incorporating his Gunbai into his own personal training. When he trained with Kakashi he focused on developing his Sharingan, and developing his ninjutsu if they had the time. When Sasuke trained on his own he developed his own ninjutsu that he kept from Kakashi. Not because he didn’t want him to know, but to spice up their sparring matches. If Kakashi knew all of his ninjutsu he’d know how to counter them, and he wanted to be able to surprise Kakashi during their fights. A few weeks had passed since Sasuke got his Gunbai. It was Sasuke’s birthday (July 23rd) and he was turning 14, Sasuke usually celebrated it alone but not this time. When he awoke Kakashi was already awake and he woke up to “Happy Birthday Sasuke!” from Kakashi and Sakura. “Thank you both, I appreciate this.” Sasuke said, trying not to think of the last time he’d heard someone wish him Happy Birthday while he was still in bed.

 

It made him miss his family, they were the last one’s he’d celebrated his birthday with. Since the massacre Sasuke celebrated his birthday alone, until now. That’s when Sasuke began to realize that he had true family in his friends, they didn’t pretend to care about how he’d felt. Their closeness was genuine, and Sasuke had realized that sometimes he’d taken them for granted, especially Sakura. “I got you this Sasuke.” Kakashi said, gesturing to the scrolls on the table. “These are sealing scrolls, I noticed you always lugging your sword and Gunbai around. If you seal them in this and just carry the scroll around it’ll be much easier. I’m sorry I can’t stay longer, but I have a mission today.” Kakashi apologized.

  
“Don’t worry about it. Thank you for the gift, good luck on your mission.” Sasuke said. Kakashi grabbed his bag and walked out of the door. Sasuke turned to look at Sakura. “I thought you were working in the hospital non-stop?” Sasuke questioned. “I was, but the Hokage let me have the day off. Shizune’s going to have to pick up my slack though, I feel slightly bad.” Sakura said. “Shizune will be fine… probably.” Sasuke joked and Sakura laughed. “So Sasuke, what do you want to do for your birthday?” Sakura asked. “I don’t know. But I do know I want to get out of here. I have no problem with Kakashi’s house but it gets cramped quickly.” Sasuke admitted, and he almost stood up, but he realized he only had his PJ’s on.

 

“Give me a minute, I’ll be back out.” Sasuke said. Sasuke jumped into the shower, washing his hair and putting on his clothes. He grabbed his sword and put it’s sheath on his hip, and his Gunbai on his back. He was thinking about sealing it in the scroll Kakashi had given to him, but he decided against it for now. He walked out and Sakura was still there waiting. “Let’s go.” he’d said. Sasuke and Sakura walked around the village until they arrived at a park. They sat on the swings at the park. “So, how has training been?” Sasuke asked. “I’m learning a lot from the 5th Hokage. She’s an incredible woman, and I aspire to be as strong as she, physically and emotionally.” Sakura said. “Emotionally?” Sasuke questioned. “She’s lost almost everyone she’s ever cared for. She lost her little brother in a war, and she lost her lover in a war as well. Both of them died in her arms, after she’d tried and failed to heal them.” Sakura explained. “I’d never known that about her, I know how it feels though. Watching your loved ones die in front of you. I still relive it at the strangest times, I’ll never forget it for as long as I live.” Sasuke admitted.

 

“That’s why I think you’re incredibly strong as well.” Sakura said. “I’m not! I mean, it plagues me everyday. The fact that my family is gone _forever_ and the fact that my brother who caused me all this pain is still out there. I try to get closer to my memories of my family by going to the clan compound and reading things in the library. But it just reminds me that my once great clan with all this knowledge and culture is gone. Then it makes me feel so alone.” Kakashi said bitterly. “You aren’t alone Sasuke. You have Naruto, Kakashi, and you have _me_ Sasuke.” Sakura said tenderly. Sasuke gazed at Sakura, her cheeks were red, her lips were sun-kissed in color and her eyes were staring at him intently with those emerald eyes. As if it was a sign from someone above, the wind blew sending Sakura’s hair in her face, as she’d moved it out of her face Sasuke leaned in, and kissed her deeply. When his lips touched hers he felt sparks, fireworks even. His heart was soaring and there were butterflies in his belly, everything just clicked and the universe felt right.

 

When Sasuke pulled back Sakura’s cheeks weren’t just red, they were scarlet. “What was that?” Sakura asked. “It’s my way of saying thank you… for everything.” Sasuke whispered. Sakura was starstruck, it was the moment she’d always dreamed of. “Let’s go back to Kakashi Sensei’s house. I have a gift for you, I didn’t show you earlier.” Sakura said. They’d walked back and once they were inside Sakura opened the fridge and presented a platter of cupcakes. When Sakura put them in front of Sasuke she used her finger to scoop the frosting off, because she’d known Sasuke wasn’t very fond of sweets. “I know you don’t really like sweets but it’s your birthday, everyone deserves _something_ sweet on their birthday.” Sakura coaxed. “How do you know me so well?” Sasuke asked.

 

“I’ve liked you for a while… you know. Not to be creepy but, I’ve always watched you. I tried to be what you liked when I was younger. I would argue with Ino about if you liked shorter or longer hair, I would try to find out your favorite color so I could wear it that day. I realize it may be stupid, but I thought all of that would win you over.” Sakura’s cheeks flushed with color. “Sakura… all those things aren’t what got me to notice you. You were always there, that’s why I took notice of you.” Sasuke opened up. “Also… I like you too Sakura.” Sasuke admitted to his feelings. He’d known how Sakura had felt about him for a long time. At first he didn’t feel the same, he thought Sakura was just another girl who was infatuated. But Sakura proved that to be false, she showed Sasuke that she liked him through her actions. She was there for him after his fight with Itachi, she was the first face he’d saw when he woke up. She was always there, and she always showed Sasuke that her feelings were genuine. She’d stopped surrounding him, she started flourishing on her own, separate from him. Sakura was speechless. Sasuke grabbed his cupcake, and ate it. He usually didn’t like sweets but this time he didn’t mind it, perhaps it was because Sakura had given it to him.

 

Sasuke and Sakura spent the rest of the day together. Sakura was getting Sasuke to open up more about things, and Sasuke didn’t mind telling her. Sasuke reminded himself that he couldn’t let himself get too attached, he was foremost an avenger. He couldn’t let Sakura threaten that and if she did, Sasuke would have to let her go. Sasuke walked her home once it began to get late. Once they’d gotten to Sakura’s door Sakura looked up into his eyes. This time she initiated the kiss and Sasuke kissed her back. “Goodnight Sakura.” Sasuke said softly. Sasuke walked away and smiled, it was one of the best birthday’s he’d ever had.

 

Sasuke continued his training, and he saw Sakura occasionally, if they had time between missions, training, and other obligations. A year had past since Naruto left. Sasuke’s house had been rebuilt so he moved all of his stuff out of Kakashi’s. When he was at the door, ready to go back to his home he’d spoke to Kakashi “Thank you Kakashi. For training me, giving me a place to stay, and being my friend.” Sasuke said. Kakashi smiled “You’re welcome, and if you need me, you know where to find me.” Kakashi told Sasuke. Over that year Kakashi helped Sasuke develop his Sharingan. Sasuke made great gains in his genjutsu prowess, he’d learned to master his Eye of Hypnotism. Sasuke, under Kakashi’s influence, began to use his Sharingan Eye of Insight to a greater degree. Sasuke integrated copying ninjutsu into his fighting style, as Kakashi did. Sasuke also made greater progress in using Lightning and Fire Release. The seals that Kakashi had given him for his birthday made him think of something. Itachi is extremely quick at drawing his shuriken and kunai. If Sasuke hoped to match him he’d need to be able to draw his weapons as quick as Itachi did. Sasuke decided he’d seal his weapons on his wrist.

 

Sasuke’s eventual battle with Itachi was on his mind. He’d developed his jutsu and perfected his Sharingan, but Itachi had done all those things as well, and he’d had more time to practice. Sasuke needed a jutsu specifically made to kill Itachi. Sasuke decided that it would have to be a lightning jutsu. Kakashi warned him that Itachi used water so he’d easily be able to put out any fire jutsu. Lightning was his only shot. Something that bothered Sasuke was that Itachi had access to the Mangekyo Sharingan, and specifically Tsukyomi. He’d been training his genjutsu with purpose. He’d known Itachi was a genjutsu master, so he’d made sure to ask Kakashi to use genjutsu in their spars so he’d have plenty of practice in breaking them and casting them. From what he’d heard from Kakashi, the Tsukyomi was a different type of genjutsu. Kakashi wasn’t able to break it after he realized he was in a genjutsu, and Kakashi has the Sharingan. Sasuke would have to find a way to break it, even if it was just pure willpower.

 

Sasuke had been completing missions at a good rate as well. He’d lead teams in numerous B-Ranked missions, and he’d even teamed up with Jonin to complete A-ranked missions. Sasuke’s strength had begun to be known throughout the village, but not on a level as Kakashi’s or most of the Jonin. Speaking of Jonin, Sasuke had toyed with the idea of becoming one. He did think that he’d had the qualifications to become a Jonin, but he’d ask Kakashi to know for sure. He walked over to Kakashi’s house, and as usual, he was reading his book. “Kakashi, how did you become a Jonin?” Sasuke asked.

 

Kakashi looked up and smiled. Sasuke had come so far from being just being hungry for power and revenge. “So you want to be a Jonin huh?” Sasuke nodded. “I’ve been thinking about it. I wanted to know how much trouble I’d have to go through first. Also, I wanted to know your opinion on my strength. Do you think I’m strong enough?” Sasuke asked. “Well, you’re stronger than I was when I was a Jonin. That’s for sure. I could name a couple of Jonin that you’d probably beat if you faced them. So I think you are strong enough.” Kakashi said.

 

“But the problem might be your experience. Jonin are highly experienced and highly skilled individuals. I have no doubt of your skill, but your experience isn’t up to par with the current Jonin. That might be your shortcoming.” Kakashi said. “But I have experience, I’ve been doing plenty of B-ranked missions since I’ve become a Chunin.” Sasuke added. “Yeah, but most people are Chunin for longer. Also, I think you’re underestimating the position of Jonin a little. Most Genin are expected to naturally grow into the Chunin position. A lot of ninja never become Jonin, this is because the amount of skill and experience the position requires. I became a Jonin much faster than I should’ve because it was wartime. They didn’t consider my lack of experience, they just knew that I was strong enough and that’s why I was promoted so quickly. If I’m to be honest I’d even say that I was promoted before I should’ve been.” Kakashi told Sasuke. “Also, most Jonin have 2 changes in chakra nature, you have that already. I’d still develop another one to be sure. I can use all changes in chakra nature so if you need help developing another one, come to me. My advice to you is to perfect your jutsu that you have now, you can develop another change in chakra nature and that will look good for you. You have the analytical skills required of a Jonin already.” Kakashi added.

 

“If I did decide to pursue this would you vouch for me?” Sasuke asked. “Of course I would Sasuke. But it all relies on the Hokage’s decision. You have to prove to her that you’re ready.” Kakashi said. “Alright. I’m putting my training in overdrive, Kakashi.” Sasuke said, walking out of Kakashi’s house. Sasuke needed a new sparring partner. Kakashi was beginning to know all of his moves. Sasuke thought back to the first mission he’d led, and he knew who he would go to. Sasuke arrived at the Hyuga compound a couple minutes later. He’d found Neji sparring with Hiashi. “Hey Neji!” Sasuke said. Neji stopped his spar and walked up to Sasuke. “You’re coming to get me for another mission?” Neji asked. “Not this time Neji. I’m looking for a new sparring partner. You interested?” Sasuke asked.

 

“Sure.” Neji replied. “Alright. I’ll see you at the training field.” Sasuke said, making a handsign and disappearing into a puff of smoke. Hiashi looked at Neji “You and the Uchiha are friends?” he asked. “Yeah, we went on a mission together, it changed my opinion about him. He wasn’t as bad as people made him out to be.” Neji said. “Alright, I’ll see you later Lord Hiashi.” Neji added, and he walked out.

  
Sasuke was in a tree and he’d saw Neji walk to the training field. “Haven’t you become a Chunin yet?” Sasuke asked. “Yeah, I’ve been one for like 6 months now.” Neji replied. “Anyways, let’s get started.” Sasuke said, activating his Kekkei Genkai and dashing towards Neji, and drawing his blade. Sasuke tried to slash at Neji and Neji ducked his blade and grabbed his arm after it’d swung over his head. “If this was a real fight, it’d be game over already.” Neji smirked. Neji was surprised as the Sasuke he was holding fizzled out. “If this was a real fight, you would’ve been _dead_ already.” Sasuke said from behind Neji. “Genjutsu!” Neji said. Sasuke merely smirked. “I should’ve known. Gai always said Kakashi used Genjutsu, I should’ve expected it from his student.” Neji said, activating his Byakugan.

 

Sasuke went to kick Neji’s back from behind him and Neji began spinning and emitting chakra. “Rotation!” Neji yelled and Sasuke was sent flying away from him. Neji began running at him and Sasuke jumped into the air and using his seal wrists, unleashed a dozen shuriken. Sasuke made a handsign and yelled “Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson!” Sasuke infused his shuriken with fire as they launched at Neji. Neji thrust his palm towards the flying Shuriken and said “Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!” Neji let out a compressed blast of air and sent the flaming shuriken back at Sasuke. All the shuriken found their mark, hitting Sasuke. Sasuke turned into a log and he’d aimed a leg sweep at Neji’s legs. Neji’s feet fell in front of him and his back touched the ground, but before Sasuke could jump on him he’d quickly back-flipped and regained his distance.

 

Sasuke ran towards Neji and threw some shuriken at him, Neji skillfully caught them all and flung them back towards Sasuke quickly. Sasuke sent his chakra to his feet and jumped at least a story high. Neji smirked and thrust both of his hands and sent out twice the amount of compressed air as he did the last time “Eight Trigrams Vacuum Wall Palm!” Neji yelled. Neji’s attack approached Sasuke fast and he pulled out his Gunbai and blocked it “Uchiha Return!” Sasuke yelled, sending Neji’s attack back at him with much more power. Neji was unable to dodge and was battered by the rough blast, it had knocked him off his feet. Neji got up and asked “Where did that come from?” Sasuke smiled and said “Sorry, clan secrets. I can’t tell you.” Sasuke said honestly. He’d thought about telling Neji but he decided against it. He’d told Kakashi about it because he’d trusted him. If Sasuke wanted to restart his clan after he beat Itachi, he couldn’t go around telling the secrets of their jutsu.

 

“We can call it a day Neji, if you want.” Sasuke said. “Yeah, I’ll call it a day. Good spar.” Neji said while walking away. For the next couple of months Sasuke focused on developing his Jutsu that was specifically meant to kill Itachi. He’d also been training hard to become a Jonin. He didn’t know what the Hokage would expect of him, but he knew he’d have to prove himself to her. He brushed up on all of his skills, and he was learning another change in chakra nature. He’d decided that he’d learn Earth Release. He decided this because Earth was stronger than Itachi’s Water Release. It would give him more options in their battle and it could be used in combination with his Fire Release. He’d learned some of the more basic Earth jutsu. He couldn’t just jump into it like he’d usually do. Earth wasn’t anything like Fire or Lightning Jutsu which he’d known well. It was completely different, so it would take time for him to be as good with Earth as he was with Fire or Lightning.

 

A couple of months had past, and Sasuke felt confident enough in his abilities that he could bring up the prospect of him becoming a Jonin to the Hokage. He’d walked over to the Hokage’s office and walked in. “Hey kid. What’s up?” the Hokage said. “I was wondering how do I become a Jonin? I’d asked Kakashi and he’d told me that most of the process resided with you. So I decided I’d ask you.” Sasuke was straightforward. “A Jonin? Already? You just became Chunin about a year and a half ago. The usual process for becoming a Jonin is being recognized by the village and the Hokage.” Tsunade said.

 

“I know.” Sasuke said. “But I feel like I’m ready.” Sasuke continued “And so am I.” someone said from behind him. Sasuke turned to see Neji and they both exchanged smirks. “Both of you? Well I’ll give you a chance to prove yourselves. Be at the training field tomorrow by noon. I’ll have someone for both of you to fight.” Tsunade said. “Thank you Hokage.” Sasuke said, while walking away. Sasuke didn’t have any idea of who he had to fight, but he knew who he didn’t want to fight. He didn’t want to fight neither Kakashi or Gai. He didn’t want to fight Kakashi because Kakashi knew most of his moves and he wouldn’t be able to show off his prowess. He didn’t want to fight Gai because of his tremendous strength and speed, and his Taijutsu. Other than that, he was confident in his abilities to fight any other Jonin the Hokage could throw at him. Sasuke went to bed earlier that night, he’d need to be rested to fight at his full capacity.

 

When Sasuke awoke he ate breakfast and put his gear on and began walking to the training field. Once he’d gotten there the Hokage and two other ninja were waiting for him. Sasuke recognized one of them as Asuma, and the other was a woman in a flak jacket with red markings on her cheeks like Kiba. “You’re here, now where’s Neji?” Tsunade asked. Neji arrived quickly after Sasuke arrived. “Sorry for my lateness.” Neji said. “Now that you’re here we can finally start. The two ninja I have here for you guys to fight are Tsume and Asuma. I picked these ninja due to your fighting styles. Neji, you like to fight in close range, so does Tsume here. Sasuke, from what I hear from Kakashi, you are versatile but you primarily use Ninjutsu. That’s why I picked Asuma to fight you.” Tsunade said.

 

“You both will fight your own fights, and make sure you show me all you have.” Tsunade said. Sasuke started to walk off to the other edge of the training field to gain some distance from Neji and Tsume. Asuma did the same as he. “You’re one of Kakashi’s students right? Already trying to be a Jonin huh? I wish my students had the same motivation.” Asuma said, thinking of Shikamaru. “Let’s get this fight started eh? Asuma said, and Sasuke reached for his blade and ran at Asuma. Sasuke tried to slash Asuma’s chest and he quickly pulled out his trench knives to block his sword. Sounds of clashing metal filled the training field as they both fought fiercely with their weapons.

 

Sasuke sheathed his blade and made quick handsigns and said “Lightning Release: Thunderbolt!” both of his hands contained bolts of lightning and he sent the bolt of lightning towards Asuma. Asuma jumped up towards the bolt of lightning and his trench knives began to glow blue and he cut right through his bolt of lightning. Sasuke’s eyes widened and his surprise was visible. “I transmit my wind chakra through my trench knives. That’s how I was able to cut through your lightning.” Asuma explained.

 

Sasuke activated his Sharingan and smirked, he landed and ran at Asuma, swinging his blade in a downward arc. Asuma blocked his sword with his trench knives, he pushed Sasuke’s sword back, making Sasuke stumble. He followed this up with a kick, and the force of it sent Sasuke flying backwards. Asuma threw one of his trench knives at Sasuke, he dodged it and used a genjutsu on Asuma to make him think that he’d landed his throw. Sasuke ran through handsigns and yelled “Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu!” Sasuke molded a large amount of chakra in his belly and blew aout a huge fireball shaped like a dragon’s head. Asuma turned around quickly and jumped into the air, weaving handsigns of his own. Asuma spewed a great cloud of ash and once Sasuke was surrounded in it he’d ignited it, burning the surroundings. “Sasuke” disappeared and reverted back to lightning.

 

Asuma landed and he was surprised when he didn’t see Sasuke. Sasuke had tunneled underground with an Earth jutsu. Sasuke uppercut Asuma from underground and knocked him on his back. Sasuke quickly put his blade to Asuma’s throat “I win” Sasuke said confidently. Asuma swept Sasuke’s feet, and quickly pressed his trench knives to Sasuke’s throat. “Never declare your victory until it’s assured. But otherwise, good job kid. You did well.” Asuma said, offering his hand. Sasuke took it and he helped him up. Sasuke was satisfied with his fight against Asuma. In a real right he wouldn’t have declared victory, he would’ve just took Asuma’s life. But just because he’d won this fight doesn’t mean he would’ve been in a position to beat Asuma in a real fight.

 

Tsunade watched their fight from a tree, she jumped down after it was over. “Good job Sasuke. You showed off plenty of strength. You exhibited three changes in chakra nature and you have Jonin level strength. Sasuke Uchiha, I hereby promote you to the rank of Jonin. Serve Konoha well.” Tsunade said. Sasuke was ecstatic. He’d done it, he reached the same rank his father once held. “Congrats kid. You did well.” Asuma complimented. “You should be proud of yourself, you’re one of the youngest Jonin around.” Tsunade told him. “Thank you. I have to go, I wanted to tell someone about my promotion.” Sasuke said.

 

Sasuke made a handsign and disappeared in a puff of smoke. He went to go visit his parent’s grave. Their headstones were right next to each other. He’d sat down in front of their graves and said “Mother… father, I did it, I made it to Jonin. After I avenge our clan I promise to bring the Uchiha Clan back to it’s former glory. I’ll do it the right way.” Sasuke promised. Sasuke left his parents grave and went to go tell Sakura next. He arrived at her Sakura’s house and walked in the door. Her parents didn’t seem to be there so he walked up to her room. She was there reading a book on treating burns. “Sakura.” Sasuke said, announcing himself. “Sasuke, what are you doing here?” she asked. “I came to tell you that I made it to Jonin.” Sasuke said. Sakura smiled and said “Congratulations Sasuke. What was the Jonin Exam like?” Sakura asked.

 

Sasuke shook his head “There wasn’t an exam. The Hokage told me to become a Jonin you needed to be recognized by both the village and the Hokage. I fought against Asuma and I proved myself to have the strength worthy to be a Jonin, but that was probably something she won’t do multiple times.” Sasuke said. “Neji was trying to be a Jonin as well, I left before I found out if he succeeded or not.” Sasuke added. “Have you told Kakashi Sensei yet?” Sakura asked. “No, I’m going to tell him now.” Sasuke said, while walking away.

 

He went to Kakashi’s house and he was sitting on his couch eating. “Hello Sasuke.” Kakashi said. “Kakashi, I made it to Jonin.” Sasuke told him. “You did? Congrats Sasuke. What did you have to do?” Kakashi asked. “I had to fight Asuma.” Sasuke replied and Kakashi looked shocked. “You fought Asuma? Did you win?” he questioned. “Kind of. At the end, I had my sword to his neck, but he kicked me and swept my feet and made me fall. Then he had his trench knives to my neck. So I’ll say it was a draw.” Sasuke admitted. “You did well Sasuke. Asuma is a powerful Jonin, I don’t know a lot of people who could back him into a corner.” Kakashi praised them both. “He was a tough opponent. I bet he’d be even tougher if he were fighting seriously.” Sasuke said. Sasuke said his goodbyes to Kakashi and left for the Uchiha compound.

 

It had become a habit of his to go to the Uchiha compound and rummage through their books and scrolls. He’d remembered the secret meeting place that Itachi had told him about all those years ago. Sasuke walked to the Naka Shrine and followed the instructions Itachi had given him “ _Go to the Naka Shrine, in the main hall beneath the seventh tatami mat from the far right is a secret meeting place of the Uchiha Clan. Inside there’s a stone tablet. Read these tablet and you’ll learn the_ _secrets of the Uchiha clan._ _”_ Sasuke remembered coming here when he was a kid. It was after he’d unlocked the Sharingan the first time. The first time Sasuke had come to read the tablet he didn’t learn much, but now that his Sharingan was fully developed, Sasuke hoped he could read more of it.

 

Sasuke used to Naka Shrine Pass Jutsu, that was passed down through the clan to move the slab of rock that was blocking the entrance. Once he did, a Sharingan and seals appeared and the rock moved, revealing stairs. Sasuke walked down them and he was facing the Stone Tablet that was in the back of the room. Sasuke activated his Kekkei Genkai, and looked at the tablet. It read “ _The Mangekyo Sharingan is an advanced form of the Sharingan that few Uchiha’s achieve. It grants the user the basic abilities of the Sharingan plus some unique abilities._ _Once the user awaken both of their Mangekyo abilities, they are able to use Susanoo, a gigantic humanoid avatar made of chakra that surrounds their body and fights with them. The Mangekyo Sharingan is awakened once an Uchiha suffers the trauma of witnessing the death of someone close to them._ _Beware overuse of the Mangekyo Sharingan, as it will make the user blind. Another fearsome ability of the Sharingan is the ability to control Tailed Beast. This ability can be used by the basic Sharingan, and it requires an Uchiha to place the Tailed Beast under a powerful Genjutsu.”_ Sasuke was unable to read the rest of the tablet as it looked like unintelligible scribbles.

 

Sasuke was taken aback by the influx of information. Sasuke couldn’t unlock the Mangekyo Sharingan unless he witnessed the death of someone close to him? Those were the special conditions his father had mentioned when he was a kid. Had he known? A better question was did his father have the Mangekyo Sharingan? Sasuke thought back to what Itachi had told him, the day of the massacre “ _To awaken the same Mangekyo Sharingan as me, you must kill your closest friend.”_ Itachi must’ve read what was on this tablet and thought that he’d have to cause the death of someone close to him to obtain the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan. Sasuke didn’t want to believe Itachi, he thought he could awaken it in another way. But he was faced with the truth, and it hurt. Sasuke would just have to defeat Itachi without the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan.

 

Over the next year and a half, Sasuke focused on perfecting his jutsu that he created to kill Itachi. Sasuke completed missions as a Jonin, and began building up a name in the Shinobi world, he wasn’t as well-known as Kakashi, but people knew of him. Sasuke built up experience as a Shinobi. Sasuke perfected his jutsu, and was especially skilled at Lightning Release. He had great skill in Fire Release and he was getting better at Earth Release. Sasuke’s relationship with Sakura fully bloomed over this year as well, as they were known to be dating by their former classmates.

 

Jonin Sasuke’s stats

**Ninjutsu**

| 

**Taijutsu**

| 

**Genjutsu**

| 

**Intelligence**

| 

**Strength**

| 

**Speed**

| 

**Stamina**

| 

**Handseals**

| 

**Total**  
  
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---  
  
4.5

| 

3.5

| 

4.5

| 

4

| 

3

| 

4

| 

3.5

| 

4

| 

31  
  
 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The short time skip chapter ended up becoming longer than expected! I was surprised at how much I had to cover. Sasuke became a Jonin. I think he, like Neji would be skilled enough to advance further than their classmates. Sasuke and Sakura's relationship took off as well. It was run writing but I'm terrible at romance, I'm sorry. Writing Part 2 is going to be interesting, a lot of things are going to change. I'm excited to write it. As always thanks for reading. 
> 
> Always,  
> \---Ruumi


	9. Kazekage Rescue Mission

 

Naruto: A Different Path

 

Naruto Uzumaki walked into the village he hadn’t seen in over 2 years. Soon as he walked in he’d jumped on a nearby pole and with his arms spread declared “I’ve missed this place! It hasn’t changed a bit!” A certain silver haired Jonin was sitting on a nearby rooftop spoke up “It’s been awhile. Seems like you’ve grown a lot… Naruto.” Sasuke had been taking a stroll, and he found Sakura and the Hokage doing the same. “Hokage, Sakura. What are you two up to?” Sasuke asked, then he’d saw who they were facing. It was Naruto, he’d grown a several inches and he was wearing an orange outfit with black sleeves, and a black zipper. He was smiling confidently. “Naruto.” Sasuke said, he hadn’t said the word in a while. It almost seemed foreign to him.

 

“Sasuke.” Naruto replied, scanning him with his eyes. The Uchiha had become inches taller, his hair remained the same and he was wearing his flak jacket with his Katana at his waist and Gunbai at his back. “It’s been awhile.” Naruto said. “Yeah, it has.” Sasuke replied. Kakashi and Jiraiya caught up to Naruto and Kakashi spoke up. “It’s been awhile since we’ve all seen each other. Especially you Naruto. Sasuke’s been busy on missions and training, Sakura’s been busy learning medical ninjutsu, and Naruto’s been gone. But from now on, the 3 of you will come on team-related missions with me. We’re no longer teacher and pupil, we’re all equals as Konoha ninja.” Kakashi spoke.

 

“But before that, I wanted to see how you’ve all developed.” Kakashi reached in his back pocket and dangled three bells in front of them. “The rules are the same, if you don’t come at me with the intent to kill you’ll never get these bells.” Kakashi stated. Sasuke smirked “These games again? Be careful Kakashi, someone might get hurt this time.” Sasuke mocked. “I doubt it. Follow me to the training field. The one we used the very first time I tested you all.” Kakashi said. Sasuke made a handsign and disappeared.

 

Sasuke arrived at the training field and waited for his team, they all arrived five minutes later. “The rules are simple. You guys have until sunrise tomorrow to get these bells from me.” Kakashi informed them, with his book in hand. “Well then… shall we begin?” Kakashi asked, while snapping his book shut. Naruto tightened his headband and said “Aren’t you going to read your book this time?” Naruto asked. Sakura slipped her gloves on. “I bet he’s already finished it.” she said. “I’ll save the enjoyment of my book for later, besides… I have the feeling that I’ll have to take this seriously.” Kakashi said while slipping his mask down, revealing his Sharingan.

 

The reformed Team 7 shared a look and Naruto threw multiple shuriken at Kakashi. Kakashi ducked and threw his own shuriken to block Naruto’s and he’d threw a couple directly at Naruto. Naruto jumped into the air and Kakashi flung a kunai at him, the blonde made the handsign for the Shadow Clone Jutsu, and created one next to him. His clone grabbed the real Naruto by the arm and moved him out of the line of fire, then Naruto transformed his clone into a Fuma Shuriken went to throw it at Kakashi. The jonin quickly grabbed Naruto by his locks of blonde hair, he bent his arm back painfully and kicked the back of his knee and brought Naruto to the ground. Naruto appeared behind Kakashi with a kunai drawn to Kakashi’s back.

  
Sasuke observed Naruto’s skills and he recognized that he’d gotten much better. Sasuke could just tell by the way he moved. “Well you’re still hasty. I never said to begin. But start...now!” Kakashi disappeared in a poof. Sakura began to scan the field for Kakashi and Sasuke activated his Sharingan to look for him. He noticed that Sakura was gathering chakra to her fist and he jumped into the air. Sakura yelled “Chaa!” and delivered a devastating punch to the ground, rupturing the ground below where Kakashi was hiding. “I found you...” Sakura said. Naruto had barely moved out of the way of the blast. Kakashi came from underground and said “I’m not just going to standby and be attacked like the last time. You all are fully capable of withstanding my attacks now.” Kakashi said, while making quick handsigns and jumping into a nearby water source.

 

“Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!” Kakashi yelled as a huge dragon made of water was created from the water he was standing in. Sasuke ran in front of his teammates and made quick handsigns of his own. “Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!” Sasuke said, slamming his hands to the ground and making a huge wall in front of his team. Kakashi’s Water Dragon clashed against the wall, and it merely made the wall wet, effectively nullifying Kakashi’s attack. Naruto created a clone and transformed it into Sakura from behind the wall. The clone jumped at Kakashi and he dashed to the left, Naruto sprung into action and tried to grab the bells while Kakashi was still in midair. Kakashi grabbed Naruto’s head and pushed him into the ground skillfully. “Nice try, you transformed into Sakura because I know how strong she is, so I would avoid close combat with her. But your plan failed.” Kakashi said.

 

Sasuke and Sakura jumped over the Earth Wall and Sasuke made quick handsigns “Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!” Sasuke blew a fireball at Kakashi that was larger than he was. Both Kakashi and Naruto bolted out of the way of the blast and Sakura dashed to Kakashi. She engaged in Taijutsu with him and Kakashi was able to dodge all of her punches. Sakura had missed one of her punches and she’d snapped a nearby tree in half. Sakura finally did land a punch against Kakashi, but he poofed out of existence and he’d reached for Sakura’s legs from underground. He stuck both of her legs underground, leaving only her upper body revealed. Naruto and Sasuke both sprung into action, jumping at Kakashi, and the elder Jonin grabbed both of their arms skillfully and threw them in the opposite direction.

 

Sasuke landed on his feet and made quick handsigns and yelled “Lightning Release: Fireworks! Sasuke created a small bolt of lightning, which divided into 2 bolts of lightning, the lightning kept expanding in number and surrounding Kakashi and once Kakashi was surrounded, Sasuke made a handsign and they exploded around Kakashi. Sasuke looked up to see Kakashi was relatively unharmed, but his gloves had disappeared and he had two Chidori’s in his hands. Kakashi was panting heavily and Sasuke realized that he’d used the Chidori as a lightning rod, and it had canceled out his lightning. “A new jutsu eh Sasuke?” Kakashi said, still panting. “Kakashi Sensei is incredible, he canceled Sasuke’s jutsu out!” Naruto exclaimed.

 

Naruto, not wanting to be outdone by Sasuke, created a Shadow Clone and formed the Rasengan in his hand. He didn’t plan on using it, but Kakashi didn’t know that, he’d just feint it out. Naruto dashed at Kakashi and Sasuke withdrew his blade and did the same. Kakashi created a Shadow Clone quickly, cutting his work in half and Sasuke slashed right through the clone and Naruto unraveled his Rasengan, creating a breeze. Kakashi’s bells jingled and Sasuke cut the strings they were attached to with his blade and caught the bells.

 

Sasuke tossed a bell to Sakura, who’d freed herself and began to walk towards them. He also threw one to Naruto, and the blonde caught it and smiled. “Looks like we win, Kakashi.” Sasuke said. Tsunade and Jiraiya who had been watching the battle from a nearby tree came down and congratulated the team. “Nice job getting the bells.” Tsunade complimented. “Yeah, I’m amazed you guys actually got them. You guys have gotten strong.” Jiraiya said. “Well, they are my students.” Kakashi bragged. “Let’s go into town. I haven’t had Ichiraku’s in years. I also want to visit the old man and Ayame.” Naruto said. Sasuke decided to accompany his team.

 

Once they’d walked back to the village it was bustling, it seemed like it was much busier than usual. “So Kakashi, are you treating us to ramen? It’s been so long and you know you are the sensei.” Naruto coaxed. “I’m sorry but I can’t. I have to resubmit the team’s forms. Maybe next time.” Kakashi said, as he disappeared in a puff of smoke. As they were walking they’d saw Shikamaru and Temari. Sakura immediately got their attention “Shikamaru and Temari, look who just came back to the village.” She said, gesturing to Naruto. Shikamaru burst into a smile “Hey if it isn’t Naruto!” he said. “Shikamaru!” Naruto exclaimed. “Did you just come home today?” Shikamaru asked. “Yes.”

 

“Have you changed any?” Shikamaru asked. “Well...” Naruto started until Sakura interrupted “Not one bit!” she yelled. Naruto got close to Shikamaru and whispered “Are you on a date?” Naruto asked with a sleazy grin. “You’re joking, why would I go out with this lazy bum. There’s a Chunin Exam soon, I’ve been named the liaison so I’ve been going back and forth between Konoha and Suna.” Temari said, looking slightly agitated Naruto suggested they were dating.   


“I’ve also been appointed to the troublesome position of the Chunin Exams examiner. I was told to go and meet the liaison which happened to be Temari.” Shikamaru added. “Chunin Exams huh? That brings back a lot of memories.” Naruto reminisced. “Speaking of the Chunin Exams… what are you planning Naruto. You’re the only one from our class who isn’t a Chunin yet.” Shikamaru informed him.

Naruto looked dumfounded “Eh?!” he asked. “So Sakura… you’re a Chunin too?” Naruto asked. Sakura confirmed it by putting up the peace sign and saying “Yup”

 

“Plus… Neji, Kankuro, Temari here and Sasuke all became Jonin.” Shikamaru said. “Jonin!” Naruto demanded answers out of Sasuke. “Yeah, don’t expect me to stay still just because you left.” Sasuke stated. “Then Gaara? What about Gaara?” Naruto asked. Temari smiled “Oh him? He’s the Kazekage.” Temari said. Naruto’s mind was blown. “The Kazekage? That’s amazing. I’m proud of him.” Naruto said. “I’ll see you tomorrow Sakura… you too Naruto.” Sasuke said. He didn’t actually care for ramen, but he was hungry so he’d eat a bowl of rice once he’d gotten home. Sasuke walked away heading towards his home.

 

The next day Team 7 was supposed to be meeting Kakashi, so they could go to the mission hall. Kakashi was late, as usual. “You’re late!” Naruto called him out. Kakashi replied with one of his usual excuses and Naruto wasn’t having it. “Today’s the day we start our mission as the new Team 7. Be enthusiastic about it at least.” Naruto demanded and Sasuke was reminded of their time as Genin. Some things never changed. Once they’d gotten inside the mission hall they had been assigned a dull mission and Sasuke noticed Naruto’s visible annoyance. “That mission sucks. No thanks!” Naruto replied. “Naruto! You don’t get to respond that way anymore. You aren’t a child.” Tsunade chided him. Iruka groaned “Naruto, you haven’t matured mentally at all.” Naruto stuck his tounge out and responded “Sandaime was more sensible.”

 

Someone burst in the door to the mission hall. “It’s bad Lord Hokage… The Kazekage has been taken by the organization called the Akatsuki! We just got the news.”a lady said. “The Akatsuki?! Isn’t my brother in that organization? Place us on that mission Hokage!” Sasuke demanded. Tsunade looked up “Right… Team Kakashi. Your new mission is to go to Suna, find out the situation and report back to Konoha. After that, back up Suna!” Tsunade said. “Thank you, Hokage!” Sasuke replied.

 

Kakashi had gave them an hour to pack their bags and be back at the village gate. Sasuke packed everything he needed and he’d packed it quicker than he’d ever packed it before. There was a chance he’d encounter Itachi on this mission. Even if it were just a chance, Sasuke would be ready. He walked to the village gate and Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi were standing there already. Tsunade was there as well. “We’ll be on our way master.” Sakura said. “Be sure to do your best.” Tsunade replied. Jiraiya appeared out of nowhere and spoke to Naruto “Yo, going on a mission already Naruto.” he said. “Something terrible happened in Suna. Gaara was kidnapped by the Akatsuki.” Tsunade said. Jiraiya walked towards her and whispered something in Tsunade’s ear and he gestured Naruto to come to him

 

“Be careful with the Akatsuki. You know their after you. Don’t get too hot-headed, it’s your weakness. Also, don’t use that jutsu!” Jiraiya ordered. Naruto’s eyes lowered slightly and he nodded “I know.” Jiraiya then whispered something in Kakashi’s ear and after he did Kakashi looked back and waved at the rest of them. “See Ya!” Team 7 began to move out, jumping through the trees. Once they did they saw Temari, as she was going towards Suna as well. Kakashi stopped and told her about Gaara and she was visibly hurt by the news. “I’d known something was up. I’m not a superstitious person, but I had a bad premonition while I was eating dango earlier. I decided to go back to Suna to see what’s up.” She said.

 

“Come with us, it’ll take three days to reach Suna from here. Let’s hurry!” Kakashi said. All of them began to jump through the trees again. While they were traveling, Naruto began to go faster than the rest of the team. Sasuke could tell he’d been bothered by something. “Don’t be so hot-headed. Didn’t Jiraiya just remind you of this?” Kakashi said. Naruto frowned “Sakura, you’re the only one on Team 7 that doesn’t know. Inside me, the Nine-Tailed Fox is sealed. They call us containers, and that’s why their after me and Gaara. They see us as monsters and I can’t stand it. We’re more than the beasts that reside in our bodies. Gaara and I are the same, he just didn’t have the support that I found in my comrades earlier. He was targeted by the Akatsuki just like me. This time I want to save him. That’s why I’m pushing myself.” Naruto told them, while beginning to tear up. Sasuke looked at Temari and saw a sad look on her face as well.Sasuke looked over to Sakura and saw that she was visibly shocked. The fact that someone as light-hearted as Naruto had something so evil and sinister inside of him. Yet someone would never know just from looking at him. Sasuke was surprised when he’d found out too.

 

After three long days of travel, Team 7 finally arrived at Suna. A Suna ninja that was guarding the outside of the village walked up to them. “Temari was with you guys? We’ve been waiting, come this way quickly.” He said, gesturing to the entrance to the village. Once they’d walked in the man began giving them details of what happened. “The Kazekage fought the intruder and defended the village. The intruder used explosives and he was able to fly away with the Kazekage on a strange bird looking creature.” he said. “Explosives?” Sasuke wondered. “Yes, the explosives seemed to be made with clay and detonated with chakra.” the ninja added. If the intruder used explosives, Sasuke was sure that it wasn’t Itachi.

 

“Kankuro pursued the enemy and was wounded by them.” he said. Temari was visibly surprised “They got Kankuro too!?” she yelled. “Yes, he was caught by the enemy’s poison. We have no way to neutralize it and they’re saying he has a day left at most.” the Suna ninja said. “Well let’s hurry Temari. I’ll examine him!” Sakura said confidently.

 

They’d ran into the treatment room and soon as an elderly woman saw Kakashi she yelled “The White Fang of Konoha!” She pounced, and tried to attack Kakashi, but Sasuke intercepted her with the dull side of his blade, sending her sliding backwards. “That old lady was quick.” Sasuke thought. “I remember when the White Fang of Konoha killed my son and his wife. I’ll avenge him today!” she said, and she began running at them again. Kakashi put his hands in front of him and said “No, I’m not the White Fang!” she still ran until she was intercepted by an elderly man with bandages wrapped around his head and wearing a black cloak.

 

“Sister take a good look. There’s a strong resemblance, but this ninja isn’t the White Fang of Konoha. Besides he’s much too young to be him.” He reasoned. “I was just pretending to be stupid.” she babbled. “More importantly, Kankuro needs to be treated quickly!” Sakura interrupted. Sakura tied her Konoha headband around her forehead, and began treating Kankuro. He hands glowed green, as she placed a hand on Kankuro’s side, and the other hand near one of Kankuro’s open wounds. Sakura’s hand extracted a purple fluid from Kankuro’s body and it formed in her hand. “I got it!” Sakura said, as the fluid hovered in her green glowing hands. Sakura placed the poison in a nearby dish so it could be examined later.

 

“Kankuro’s life isn’t in any immediate danger anymore. I’ve directly removed the poison.” Sakura informed the group. Temari, who’s back had been facing the wall, slid down and let out a breath of relief. Sasuke was amazed at Sakura’s work. She was a truly skilled medic and she surprised him every time he’d ever watched her work. “We can’t relax yet. I have to make an antidote for what little poison is left in his body. Please gather what I say.” Sakura said, as she listed the herbs and other things that she’d need to create an antidote.

 

Sakura left to go create the antidote and Sasuke, Naruto and Kakashi remained in the treatment room. “Excuse me, I wanted to ask what came of the pursuit of the enemy after Kankuro fell?” “Kankuro went after them alone, there were no others.” Baki said. “Have we completely lost them?” Kakashi asked. “It seems so.” Baki replied sadly. “May I ask if you can take me to the site of the battle. I may not look it but I’m an expert in tracking, and if even a small scent was left behind I could use it.” Kakashi said.

 

“That won’t be necessary.” A voice rang out weakly from behind them. “There were two enemies, one abducted Gaara, you should follow Gaara’s scent. If they split up, I fought the other one, and his clothing got caught up on my puppet’s hand.” Kankuro said. “Making something out of nothing… you’re a true Shinobi of the Sand.” Kakashi complimented. “Kankuro… are you sure that one of the two people you followed was Sasori?” Chiyo asked. “Yes… he’d said it himself that he was Sasori of the Red Sand. He knew the inner workings of all my puppets like only Sasori could.” Kankuro said weakly. Kankuro began coughing and Sakura made him drink something.

 

“You’ll be fine now. Until the paralysis ends, don’t move and be sure to get some rest.” Sakura said. Naruto began putting his bag back on “Right, let’s hurry!” Naruto said. “Naruto...please save my brother.” Kankuro said weakly. “Right! Don’t worry about it. I’ll be Hokage someday, so the Kazekage will just owe me a favor.” Naruto said. Team 7 walked out of the hospital room, and soon they were at the entrance of Suna again. “If you wait a little, we can have a skilled ninja here too.” a Sand ninja said.

 

“I’m coming too!” Temari demanded. “No, Temari stay here and work on the defending the border. I’ll be the ninja from the sand on this mission.” Chiyo said, from the top of the border. “B-but Chiyo, that would be too much for you.” the sand ninja said in a concerned voice. “Don’t treat me like some old hag!” Chiyo jumped from the top of the border and landed next to Team 7. “Besides, I’ve been waiting to see my cute little grandson.”

 

“Are you all done? Let’s get this mission started already.” Sasuke said. Team 7 nodded, and they began to run through the trees. Before they’d gotten anywhere Kakashi bit his thumb and made handsigns “Summoning Jutsu!” He slammed his hand into a nearby tree branch and summoned his pack of ninken. “Split up and search for the scent of the Akatsuki!” Kakashi ordered. His dogs all fanned out, combing the area. They’d continued towards their destination for awhile before Sakura spoke up “Naruto, since when did the Akatsuki start targeting you?” Sakura asked.

 

“From what I know of, it was three years ago. That’s when my brother came to the village and tried to take Naruto away.” Sasuke replied, trying to push down the memories of that battle. “Why would they wait three years to start moving again?” Sakura asked. “Maybe it was because Jiraiya was at Naruto’s side constantly. If that’s not it, I’m not sure.” Kakashi said.

 

“From what I heard there are other reasons...”Chiyo spoke up. “It requires immense preparation to separate the Tailed-Beast from it’s “container”. I assume that’s why they waited so long.” Chiyo continued. “The information regarding the Nine-Tails is top secret in Konoha, which is why Sakura didn’t know about it.” Kakashi informed them.

 

“That makes sense. The Tailed Beasts are magical beasts possessing tails. There are nine of them, Suna has always held the One-Tails. The tailed beasts are a monstrous formation of chakra. During wars, all of the great hidden villages attempted to acquire the power of the tailed beasts. However no one can control these tailed beasts… so I don’t know why the Akatsuki seeks them.” Chiyo said. Sasuke was surprised, that had contradicted what the stone tablet had said about tailed beasts. The stone tablet said that Uchiha’s can control the tailed beasts by casting a powerful genjutsu on them, forcing the beasts to do the Uchiha’s bidding. It seems like that isn’t common knowledge among people, Sasuke pondered on informing his team about it, but he kept it to himself. Sasuke also realized that if the Akatsuki, the group Itachi was apart of, were coming for Naruto, the best way to find Itachi might be to stick close to Naruto.

 

Sasuke was lost in his thoughts as they were jumping through the trees Kakashi had called everyone to a halt, and Sasuke was wondering why. Until he saw who was in front of them, Itachi Uchiha. Sasuke immediately stepped in front of his team. “Kakashi, you promised me! If we encountered Itachi that I’ll be able to fight him alone. Hold to your promise to me or I’ll never forgive you!” Sasuke exclaimed. Kakashi looked as if he wanted to argue, but he looked into Sasuke’s eyes and he knew that he wouldn’t be able to change his mind. Kakashi had said something to the rest of the team, but Sasuke couldn’t hear him. He’d been too focused on his wayward elder brother, Sasuke glared into Itachi’s eyes and Itachi met his eyes without a reaction. Chiyo spoke up “If it’s one vs one, you have no hope of defeating an Uchiha.” Chiyo said. Sasuke turned around and glared at her with his Sharingan blazing. “I’m also an Uchiha!” Sasuke yelled as he turned his attention to Itachi.

 

“Brother! I’m not as weak as I were the last time. Today’s the day you die!” Sasuke said darkly. “Sasuke… you say you aren’t as weak as last time. Let’s see if you’ve grown.” Itachi replied, making handsigns almost faster than Sasuke could see “Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!” Itachi said. Sasuke made his own set of handsigns and yelled “Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!” both of the Uchiha’s fireballs clashed and Sasuke pounced into battle, drawing his blade and running towards Itachi.

 

Sasuke swung his sword at Itachi and the elder Uchiha blocked it with a Kunai. Sounds of metal clashing filled the air, as they engaged in close combat with their blades, none of them gaining the advantage. Sasuke used his seal to create multiple shuriken and flung them at Itachi. Itachi drew his shuriken quicker than Sasuke had, and blocked his barrage of shuriken. Sasuke made handsigns and dashed at Itachi, blade drawn and put all of his might into his swing. Itachi tried to block it with his kunai but his weapon was cut through by the Chidori running through Sasuke’s blade. Sasuke’s blade didn’t stop there, it had cut into Itachi’s shoulder, creating a huge cut.

 

“Chidori through your blade? You’ve improved Sasuke.” Itachi said from behind Sasuke, with a blade pressed to his neck, the Itachi that Sasuke had cut had turned into a flock of crows. Itachi stabbed Sasuke’s neck and he turned into a bolt of electricity, the electricity discharged and stunned Itachi. “I told you, I’m not the same Sasuke you fought!” Sasuke yelled as he made handsigns and said “Lightning Release: Fireworks!” Sasuke released a bolt of electricity which turned into two, four, eight, sixteen. Itachi was surrounded by Sasuke’s lightning and Sasuke made a handsign and his lightning discharged wildly. Itachi had serious burns throughout his body but he was alive.

 

“Why haven’t you used your Mangekyo?!” Sasuke demanded answers. Sasuke had prepared for Itachi’s Mangekyo but it seemed as he wasn’t bringing it out. Plus this fight had been much easier than he expected it to be. Something wasn’t right, but Sasuke couldn’t place his finger on it. “I’ve overused my Mangekyo today, that’s why I can’t use it.” Itachi admitted. Sasuke ran at Itachi and he grabbed Sasuke’s arm, Sasuke was locked into eyesight with Itachi and suddenly he was being bound by nails. There were 4 gigantic nails in his limbs and Sasuke couldn’t move. Sasuke smirked and reversed the genjutsu, binding Itachi in nails instead. “Your genjutsu won’t work on me anymore Itachi.” Sasuke said in the real world. The genjutsu around both of them collapsed and he was still looking at Itachi.

 

Itachi’s arm was still grasping him and Sasuke turned around and skillfully threw him over his shoulder. Itachi rolled and was back on his feet and Sasuke gathered electricity to his hand and began walking towards Itachi. Itachi tried to run to evade him but his feet were being held by something, it was Sasuke’s Earth Clone that he’d sent underground. “It’s over Itachi, Chidori!” Sasuke yelled as he thrust his hand through Itachi’s chest, piercing his heart.

 

Itachi dropped to the ground, and once Sasuke came closer to examine the corpse he didn’t see the one he expected. Instead of the corpse of Itachi Uchiha, it was the corpse of a black haired man with a beard. _It wasn’t Itachi_. Sasuke was shattered, he’d felt like something was wrong. He could’ve never guessed this. He’d killed someone who was innocent, they were completely unaware of Sasuke’s vendetta against Itachi, he just was some poor soul who was dragged into this. Sasuke dropped to his knees in disbelief.

 

The rest of the group walked towards Itachi and the also examined the corpse. “It wasn’t Itachi… the question now is, who was it?” Kakashi said lowly. Chiyo stepped up. “I know him, he’s Yuura. He’s a Jonin from my village.” “Could he have been a spy for the Akatsuki?” Sakura asked. “No way, he’s been working hard as a leader in our village for the last 4 years.” Chiyo said. Sakura walked up to Sasuke and hugged him. “You couldn’t have known, don’t blame yourself Sasuke.” she whispered. “The thing is though… I did feel something off about him. He didn’t feel like Itachi, he didn’t use most of Itachi’s jutsu. I should’ve known.” Sasuke said.

 

“It seems that the Akatsuki have a good jutsu. Their purpose were probably just to gather information about us and our jutsu.” Kakashi said. “Indeed, they were obviously stalling. They’ve probably already started to extract the Tailed Beast. Perhaps they wish to use Shukaku to make a new Jinchuuriki.” Chiyo stated. “Then there’s already no time. We have to hurry.” Kakashi said. “Jinchuuriki?” Sakura asked. “I’ll explain later, let’s move.” Chiyo said. They began to move once more until it got dark.

 

“Let’s set up camp. I’ll take the first sentry duty.” Kakashi said. Sasuke took his sleeping bag out of his backpack and as soon as his head touched the pillow. When he woke up the rest of his team was already up. “Now that Sasuke’s up we can leave.” Kakashi said. Sasuke quickly placed his sleeping bag back in his backpack and he was ready. “I’m ready… let’s go!” Sasuke said. Team 7 began racing through the trees once more and a little while later they’d arrive at a giant rock with a gate in front of it. Team Gai was already there waiting. “About time, Kakashi.” Gai said. “What’s the situation?” Kakashi asked.

 

“This rock is some sort of barrier, I tried to break it but it didn’t even budge.” Gai informed him. “It’s a Five Seal Barrier by the looks of it. To break it you have to detach the other four seals.” Kakashi said, looking towards Neji. “Neji, can you find them for us?” Kakashi asked. Neji activated his Byakugan and searched the general vicinity with his eyes. “I found them!” Neji said. Neji then told them each of the locations of the seals. “Those are in range for the radio! Take these” Gai said, handing out radios to his team and Kakashi. They placed their radios and Gai said “The frequency is 174, wait for our message. Also, my team is faster, so let us do this.” Gai continued. “Scatter!” Gai ordered and his team jumped off in different direction.

 

A couple minutes later Kakashi got the message that they’ve all found their seals. “Remove the seals on 3...2...1… now!” Kakashi ordered. Kakashi removed the seal on the boulder and Sakura punched the boulder, destroying it completely. Team 7 and Chiyo quickly went into the entrance to find a blonde-haired man, who looked like he was in his late teens, to early twenties and a round figure with piercing eyes, who was wearing a mask. The blonde-haired man was sitting next to a gigantic white bird, and he was sitting on top of Gaara who looked lifeless. The blonde man spoke up “Now which one of them is the Jinchuuriki hm?

 

Sasuke glanced to Naruto’s face to see his whiskers getting wider, his blue eyes becoming red, his canines elongating and his hair become more feral. “You bastards! I’ll destroy you!” Naruto exclaimed. The blonde one smirked, “Seems like it’s that one hm?” he said, looking smug. Naruto was visibly enraged “Gaara? What are you doing?! Get up!” Naruto yelled. “Naruto… you know full well” Kakashi said. “Don’t you get it? He’s been dead for awhile now.” the blonde one said. Naruto began to run towards the duo and Sasuke ran in front of him, arms outstretched. “Naruto, get it together! Don’t lose your composure in front of the enemy.” Sasuke said. Naruto stopped trying to push past Sasuke and took a deep breath.

 

“It seems like this Jinchuuriki wants to take the other one back.” the large one said. “This’ll probably make you mad but… I’ll handle the other Jinchuuriki hn.” the blonde said. “Don’t push it Deidara.” “If an artist doesn’t get high levels of inspiration his works gets dulled. I’ve heard the Kyuubi’s Jinchuuriki is strong Sasori.” Dediara said. “You call those explosions of yours art? Art is something wonderful that’s left to the future.” Sasori argued. “Agree to disagree, I respect your art. But art is the beauty of a single fleeting moment of an explosion. That’s what I live for.” Deidara replied.

 

“Who are these people?” Sakura whispered. Naruto’s anger boiled, he whipped out a scroll and it summoned a Fuma Shuriken. He flung it at Sasori and he blocked it with little effort with his metallic tail. “Are you trying to piss me off Deidara?” Sasori asked, as he tried to hit Deidara with his tail. Deidara dodged by getting on his nearby bird, as it scooped Gaara up. The bird began to fly out of the enclosure, as it gulped Gaara’s corpse. Naruto immediately ran after him and Kakashi began barking orders “Sasuke! Help Naruto handle the one outside. I’ll fight with Sakura and Chiyo to help them defeat the Akatsuki member inside.”

 

“Fine.” Sasuke said as he jumped on the gate where Naruto was standing on, and near where the bird was hovering. “Sasuke Uchiha? Itachi’s little brother hm?” Deidara said. “You’ll tell me everything you know about Itachi!” Sasuke demanded, activating his Kekkei Genkai. “The Sharingan? It’s inferior to my art. I won’t tell you a thing about Itachi, even though I hate his guts.” Deidara said. Naruto flung shuriken at Deidara and it hit a clay bird that Deidara swiftly created. Deidara made a handsign and it exploded, knocking both Sasuke and Naruto back.

 

Sasuke and Naruto both used their chakra to stick to the nearby rocks that the explosion blew them into. Deidara began to fly away and Naruto jumped off in quick pursuit. Sasuke did the same as he jumped through the trees keeping an eye on the Deidara who was flying overhead. Sasuke quickly caught up to Naruto and began to speak “Listen idiot. You don’t have what it takes to fight this guy. I’m guessing you don’t have any long-range ninjutsu. I do, so let me take the lead and you follow me, Naruto!” Naruto began to chuckle a little. “What do you know Sasuke? I do have a long range ninjutsu.” Naruto ran through handsigns and bit his finger, he slammed his hand into a nearby tree branch and a gigantic toad appeared. “Get on Sasuke!” Naruto yelled. Sasuke quickly jumped on top of the toad’s head and the toad began leaping through the trees, decreasing the distance between them and Deidara.

 

“Gamakichi, give me one of your long range jutsu! We’re fighting the guy on the bird.” Naruto said. “Alright Naruto! Hold on tight.” Gamakichi replied. Sasuke and Naruto both sent chakra to their feets to stick to the toad as he leaped into the air, soaring above Deidara. Gamikichi made a handsign while gathering chakra in his mouth. “Starch Syrup Gun!” He yelled while sending a huge blast of water at Deidara. Sasuke smirked and made a few handsigns of his own “I see, Naruto. Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder!” Sasuke said, infusing the water his own lightning. Their jutsu found its target as it both doused and electrocuted Deidara. Naruto and Sasuke both wasted no time jumping on him. Naruto created a Rasengan and struck the birds neck, releasing it’s head where Gaara was. Naruto quickly grabbed it and clawed through it to find Gaara. Sasuke quickly put his blade to Deidara’s neck. “You _will_ tell me everything you know about Itachi, including his whereabouts.” Sasuke said dangerously.

 

“I told you I wasn’t telling you anything.” Deidara said while smirking. Sasuke activated his Kekkei Genkai and looked into Deidara’s eyes to try to get the information through a Genjutsu. He couldn’t get anything from Deidara and he there was also a genjutsu trap placed in his mind. “That pesky genjutsu hm? I specifically trained my eyes against it.” Deidara said confidently. Sasuke began to notice a sinister chakra and killing intent. He looked back to see Naruto had become much more feral, his eyes darkened and a tail manifested. Naruto quickly kicked Deidara into the nearby forest. He created Shadow Clones and they secured each of Deidara’s limbs as he pummeled Deidara until his fists were full of blood. Another tail began to manifest as Naruto began charging up a Rasengan. Naruto slammed the Rasengan into Deidara but he was replaced with a clay dummy. “Naruto! Snap out of it. He replaced himself with the clay!” Sasuke said but Naruto didn’t hear him at all. Kakashi, Sakura and Chiyo arrived onto the scene and Kakashi took in the situation. “Naruto…” he said.

 

He then began jumping towards Naruto, and before the angered Jinchuuriki could react he placed a tag on his forehead, suppressing his chakra almost instantly. Sasuke then began scanning the area with his Sharingan, looking for signs of Deidara’s chakra, he wasn’t going to let a potential lead to Itachi get away. He found a chakra in a nearby bush and he began running to it. Sasuke confronted him as he tried to leave the bush and he saw Team Gai had done the same. “I won’t let you get away!” Sasuke stated as he engaged in combat with him. The sounds of metal clashing filled the forest as Sasuke fought Deidara. Deidara was swift, as he avoided all of Sasuke’s sword attacks and all of Team Gai’s shuriken at once.

 

He then dashed to his headless bird, which was sitting in a clearing. “This guy uses long-ranged jutsu. Be careful.” Sasuke ordered. Deidara spit out the Kunai he’d been holding in his mouth and he took a bite out of the clay bird. Deidara began to inflate as he said “Take a look at my ultimate work of art.” Neji realized what Deidara was doing and he yelled “Everybody get back!” Sasuke dashed away with the rest of the Konoha ninja as Deidara exploded. The blast was beginning to reach them as Kakashi’s pulled down his mask and his Sharingan changed into a pinwheel shape. He narrowly warped away the blast with Kamui. Sasuke, being the observant person he was, noticed how Kakashi’s sharingan changed shape. “The Mangekyo...” Sasuke said, barely audible.

 

Shortly after they reached a clearing and they placed Gaara’s body on the grass. Gaara looked almost peaceful, almost as he were just sleeping, not at all dead. Sakura placed her hands over Gaara and examined him. A few moments later she turned back and walked towards Sasuke. Sasuke squeezed her hand gently to comfort her. Naruto began to tear up “Why was it always Gaara? He was always alone, and to die like this! He’d just become the Kazekage.” Naruto said tearfully as he began to shake. “Relax, Naruto...”Chiyo began “Shut up! If you Sand Shinobi hadn’t put this monster in Gaara they wouldn’t be after him! Nothing like this would’ve happened. Nobody ever even tried to ask Gaara how he felt?” Naruto yelled. He then began to weep for his friend.

 

Everyone surrounding Gaara was affected by Naruto’s words. He’d truly understood how Gaara had felt like nobody ever had. Chiyo began to walk towards Gaara’s corpse, she kneeled over him and placed her hands on his chest. Her hands began to glow green and Sasuke’s eyes widened. “If you couldn’t do anything to help him Sakura, what more can she do?” Sasuke asked, only for Sakura to hear. “I don’t know, no jutsu can reawaken the dead. I know that for sure.” Sakura said softly. “What are you doing?!” Naruto yelled. Chiyo merely smiled “I’m bringing Gaara back.” She said firmly.

 

“Bringing him back? How?” Sakura asked. “It’s a jutsu only I can use… and it requires a great cost.” Chiyo said. “In this world of Shinobi, old people like me have made tremendous mistakes, especially me. It’s up to the new generation to set things right, but I’ll start things off. Suna… and Konoha, the future is starting now, hopefully it’s a future of peace. It’s up to the youth now to uphold this future. Naruto, please take care of Gaara. You’re the only one who truly understands him like nobody else.” Chiyo said. Chiyo put her last bit of chakra into her jutsu, and she collapsed. Moments later Gaara awoke. Naruto smiled “Gaara you’re finally awake. You’ve put us through a lot.” Gaara sat up and looked genuinely surprised. Now that their mission was complete and Gaara was safe, Sasuke took this as a good time to pull Kakashi aside. He walked up to him and said “I need to talk to you.” Kakashi followed him into an area far enough away they wouldn’t be heard.

 

“Kakashi, since when do you have the Mangekyo Sharingan?” Sasuke questioned. Kakashi scratched the back of his head. “I’ve had it for a couple of months now.” Kakashi answered. “Who died?” Sasuke asked. “Died? What do you mean? Nobody’s died.” Kakashi said. “Kakashi, don’t be coy. I know to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan you have to witness someone close to you die. So I’ll ask you again. Who died?” Sasuke said, demanding answers. Sasuke couldn’t believe Kakashi didn’t tell him once he’d awaken his Mangekyo Sharingan. Sasuke of all people would be most interested in that information.

 

“I did witness someone close to me die… but it didn’t happen recently. One of my teammates had passed when I was younger, I had the Sharingan at the moment, and I theorize my Mangekyo must’ve awakened then. I couldn’t actively use it until a couple of months ago as I told you.” Kakashi said. “It can’t be that easy to awaken your Mangekyo, I witnessed my family die when I was younger. I can’t use the memory of that to activate it.” Sasuke argued. “But you didn’t have the Sharingan at that time. I had the Sharingan when my friend died, and it had to awaken then. Also, I never knew the Mangekyo Sharingan existed before my fight with Itachi. Once I realized Itachi was using a Sharingan that was more advanced than the basic Sharingan, I tried to reach the level beyond the Sharingan. Eventually, I did, and Kamui came with it.” Kakashi explained.

 

“Kamui?” Sasuke asked. “Kamui is the name of the space-time jutsu I used with the Mangekyo. I used it to warp away the blast to another dimension.” Kakashi said. “One last question. Why didn’t you tell me?” Sasuke asked. “Why don’t you tell me where you got the information that you have to witness a close one’s death to unlock the Mangekyo Sharingan?” Kakashi said. Sasuke debated telling Kakashi the actual truth, but something inside of him told him to lie to his friend. He’d withheld that he’d had the Mangekyo Sharingan for a couple of months. “It was in this scroll in the Uchiha Compound.” Sasuke lied. “Don’t change the subject though, why didn’t you tell me?” Sasuke asked. “I wanted to show you the instant I unlocked the Mangekyo, but you were on a mission, shortly after I was. The couple of times you and I weren’t on missions I should’ve told you. That was my fault.” Kakashi admitted. “It’s fine. Let’s go back to everyone.” Sasuke said. Once they’d returned everyone was getting ready to go, even Gaara was up on his feet. “Let’s go back to Suna.” Gaara said.

 

Team 7 stayed at Suna for three days. Kakashi had sent the mission report back to Konoha as soon as they’d gotten back on the first day. On the last day, Gaara and the rest of the Sand Siblings saw Naruto and the rest of the team off. Naruto and Gaara shared some parting words and a handshake. Team 7 then left for Konoha, with Gai carrying Kakashi due to chakra exhaustion from using the Mangekyo. They arrived a couple of days later. Once they got back to the village Kakashi was put on bed rest, taking him off of active duty.

 

Sasuke went to go meet with the Hokage and he found her. “Sasuke… I’m glad you’re here. I have a mission for you.” Tsunade said.


	10. Niju Shotai

 

Naruto: A Different Path

 

“ _Sasuke… I’m glad you’re here. I have a mission for you.”_

 

“You have a mission for me? Where’s the rest of Team 7?” Sasuke asked. “This mission won’t involve Team 7. They are going on a mission as well. They are following up on some information they obtained from Sasori of the Red Sand. It’s about Orochimaru…” Tsunade trailed off. “So that’s why I can’t go? Because Orochimaru seeks me?” Sasuke asked. Tsunade nodded in confirmation. “But Sakura is going. I don’t want to send her to Orochimaru, if they encounter him they’ll have no chance.” Sasuke retorted angrily. “I assigned them a capable Shinobi as the team leader. He was an underling of Kakashi and he’s nearly as strong as Kakashi is.” Tsunade reassured him.

 

“Who is this ninja?” Sasuke asked. “His name is Yamato, you don’t know him as he’s a former Anbu. You can ask Kakashi about him.” Tsunade said. “Besides, you should believe in Sakura more, she was able to square off against an S-ranked Missing Nin. She’s capable of handling herself. Naruto won’t allow anything to happen to her anyways.” Tsunade said, finding it cute that the usually stoic Uchiha was worried about her student. “Who’s my replacement?” Sasuke asked. “He’s another former Anbu, his name is Sai. You’ll be able to see him, as they haven’t left yet.” Tsunade said.

 

“What’s my mission?” Sasuke asked, as his anger began to subside. “I’m forming a task force of Shinobi to take on the Akatsuki. I know your goal has been to find your brother and to avenge your clan. I’m giving you the chance to do just that.” Tsunade said. Sasuke was grateful that the Hokage was giving him a chance to find his brother. Even if it was slim, Sasuke would take it. “Thank you Hokage. This really means a lot to me.” Sasuke said sincerely. “I’ll have multiple platoons with the same goal: to scour the Land of Fire in search of Akatsuki members. You will lead a platoon of 4, including yourself. You can handpick the Shinobi you want in your squad. If you encounter any Akatsuki members the priority is to capture them alive, so we can interrogate them. If that isn’t possible, eliminate them. This is an S-Ranked mission.” Tsunade ordered.

 

“I understand.” Sasuke replied. “Once all the squads are formed I’ll have you all gather. You’ll all be working together and sharing information. But you’ll primarily work with your own squad.” Tsunade explained. Sasuke had a few qualms with his mission but he was generally satisfied. He would get to handpick a group of people and track and fight the Akatsuki. He hoped that his team could understand that he, and he alone was the one who was going to fight Itachi if he encountered him. Other than that, he had few problems. “Alright.” Sasuke replied. “That’s all for now kid.” Tsunade said. Sasuke walked out and began walking towards the village gates.

 

Sasuke found Naruto, Sakura and some kid with black hair and a Konoha headband that he’d never seen before. Naruto was bickering with the unknown Shinobi and a brown haired man with almond eyes tried to calm him down. Sasuke decided to observe from a nearby tree. “I don’t want to have to work with this idiot?! We should’ve just had Sasuke on our team. I don’t know what the old hag was thinking!” Naruto exclaimed. “I don’t want to work with some weak, dick-less idiot either.” he replied. Sasuke chuckled to himself. “Naruto, Sai, stop bickering like children.” the brunette ordered. “So Sai’s his name...” Sasuke thought. Sakura spotted Sasuke and said “Sasuke, you’re here.”

 

“Yeah, I just got out of a meeting with the Hokage.” Sasuke said lowly. Sai and Naruto stopped their bickering once they noticed who Sakura was talking to. Sai walked over “So here’s the guy I’m here to replace huh? He doesn’t look too impressive.” Sai goaded. Sasuke ignored the idiot and resumed his conversation with Sakura. “So what kind of information did you obtain about Orochimaru?” Sasuke asked her. “So the Uchiha can’t hear? What a team I’ve been placed on. We have dick-less Naruto, Ms. Forehead, and a deaf Uchiha.” Sai teased. Sakura cracked her knuckles and Naruto began to dash at Sai. Sasuke merely glanced at Sai, trapping him in a Genjutsu that showed him his worse fears. Sasuke canceled the genjutsu as Sai dropped to his knees and began to sweat.

 

Sai regained his composure and stood up. “Sasuke, that wasn’t necessary.” Sakura chided. “I know, but if I didn’t do that you might’ve seriously wounded him.” Sasuke said, noting the chakra that had been surrounding her fist. Sakura whipped her fist into a nearby tree, snapping it in half. “Maybe, but he would’ve deserved it. Nobody insults my team.” Sakura said darkly. Naruto laughed loudly, breaking the tension between them. “Anyways, be safe on this mission Sakura, you’ll potentially be facing off against a Sanin. I wish I could be there, but I have a mission of my own.” Sasuke said, walking to Naruto. “Naruto… look after her for me.” Sasuke whispered. “Of course, Sasuke.” Naruto replied. “Also, I’m forming a team for a mission. I have two members in mind, but I need one more member and I don’t have any more ideas for who I should bring.” Sasuke said, trying to see if Naruto had any recommendations. He left out the important detail that the mission is to fight the Akatsuki. Naruto would undoubtedly want to ditch his mission and join Sasuke’s team.

 

“You should bring Konohamaru! He’s a Genin, but he’s pretty strong seeing that I trained him myself.” Naruto bragged. “I can’t bring Konohamaru along. He’s a kid. This will be a tough mission.” Sasuke explained. “If you don’t think he’s strong enough spar with him. I taught him a lot. You’ll see.” Naruto exclaimed. “We’ll see.” Sasuke said, as he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

 

Sasuke couldn’t take Konohamaru on this mission. He was hunting the Akatsuki after all. But Sasuke wanted to see how strong Naruto’s so-called student is. He searched for awhile but he eventually found Konohamaru at the training grounds. Konohamaru was training fiercely and he was putting a lot of effort in, working up a sweat. Sasuke walked over to him and he looked up at Sasuke. “Sasuke? What are _you_ doing here?” Konohamaru said. “I was looking for someone for my mission. Naruto told me that I should think about recruiting you.” Sasuke said. “Naruto said that?” Konohamaru said, as his eyes began to gleam.

 

“Yeah, but I don’t think you’re strong enough.” Sasuke said, crushing his hopes. “I totally am. I’m very strong for a Genin.” Konohamaru argued. “Rank doesn’t mean much. Naruto’s still a Genin.” Sasuke said. “Well I’ll just _show_ you how strong I am.” Konohamaru said, assuming a battle stance. Konohamaru dashed at Sasuke and aimed a flurry of punches and kicks at him. Sasuke easily blocked all of his attacks and swung his leg at him.

 

Konohamaru made some handsigns and yelled “Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning!” as he exhaled smoke. “I’ve seen this jutsu before.” Sasuke said, as he used the smoke as his cover while he tunneled underground with Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation. Sasuke grabbed Konohamaru’s legs and pulled him underground, revealing only his head. Konohamaru poofed out of existence and Sasuke heard chuckling from behind him. He turned his head to see Konohamaru running towards him with a Rasengan in his hand. Sasuke pulled out his blade and went to unsheath it but he realized who he was fighting. Sasuke hit Konohamaru in the forehead with the hilt of his blade, sending him flying backwards.

  
“Aw man, I almost had you.” Konohamaru whined. “You’re stronger than I thought you’d be. But I still can’t take you on this mission. I’ll be fighting S-ranked ninja. They won’t make mistakes, nor spare you if you do.” Sasuke said honestly. “Next time I have a mission that isn’t as serious I may consider you.” Sasuke said, as he disappeared in a puff of smoke. “Naruto’s student isn’t half bad” Sasuke thought. Sasuke thought about eventually taking on a student of his own.

 

  
Sasuke walked throughout the village, thinking about who he would recruit to his team. He had a strong idea on his first 2 people, for the last person his mind was blank. He needed someone who could handle themselves, someone he wouldn’t have to protect. Sasuke decided he’d just find the people he wanted to recruit and see if they had any ideas. Sasuke went to go find Shino first. Sasuke found him training in the woods withKiba. It then hit Sasuke, he should recruit Kiba to his team. He packed a punch with his families jutsu and he could also help him track Itachi. Sasuke was upset for not thinking about the Inuzuka earlier.

  
Sasuke called out to the pair of ninja and Kiba heard him. “Shino wait, Sasuke’s here.” Kiba said. Shino stopped his spar with Kiba and walked over. “Hey Sasuke.” he said. “Hey, I need you both for something.” Sasuke said. “Both of us?” Kiba asked. “Yeah… it’s for a mission. It’s a pretty dangerous mission. I’ll explain later. Meet me at the training field. Shino knows, it’s the same one as last time.” Sasuke said. “Alright. I’ll see you soon.” Shino replied. Sasuke left the forest and began heading towards the Hyuga Compound.

 

Just like the last time Sasuke came there, he found Neji sparring someone, this time it was Hinata. “Hey Neji.” Sasuke said. Neji turned to Sasuke as he blocked sidestepped Hinata’s incoming Gentle Fist attack. “You here to spar? Or for a mission?” Neji asked, knowing that Sasuke only comes there to spar or get him for a mission. “It’s for a mission. Come to the training field with me. This mission doesn’t begin immediately, but I have to explain it to you all there.” Sasuke explained. “Fine, I’ll come now.” Neji said, as he turned to Hinata. “We’ll continue your training later.” he said. He then walked out with Sasuke.

 

Neji asked what their mission was about, but Sasuke wouldn’t tell. He didn’t want to have to repeat himself and he’d rather just say it to everyone at once. They arrived at the training field shortly after with Kiba , Akamaru, and Shino already there waiting. “Sasuke can you finally tell me what this mission is about?” Neji asked. Sasuke took a breath “You all know what the Akatsuki is right?” Sasuke asked. Everyone nodded “Our Sensei’s all told us about it.” Kiba spoke up. “Good. The Hokage is creating a task force. Their mission is to scour the Land of Fire for members of the Akatsuki, if they encounter them they’re to engage in combat with the Akatsuki in hopes of capturing them. If they can’t they eliminate them. I’m a captain of one of these squads, and I hope you all will be apart of my squad.” Sasuke informed them.

 

Kiba’s eyes widened. “We’re taking on the Akatsuki?” he asked. Sasuke smirked “Is that fear I hear Kiba?” Sasuke mocked. “No, just surprise.” Kiba retorted. “How many other teams will there be?” Shino asked. “I don’t know for sure, but I know there will be a sizable amount. We’re just one of the teams.” Sasuke replied. “I accept. I’ll be apart of your squad.” Neji said. “As will I...” Shino said. “So will me and Akamaru.” Kiba smirked. “There’s one thing though. You may know that my brother… Itachi Uchiha is apart of the Akatsuki. If we encounter him, I want to fight him alone.” Sasuke said lowly.

 

“Are you nuts? Fight an S-ranked criminal alone?” Kiba exclaimed. “It has to be me. He annihilated my clan, I have to be the one to avenge them.” Sasuke said roughly. Sensing that Sasuke wouldn’t be dissuaded they all agreed to allow Sasuke to fight Itachi alone. But they all agreed, that if Sasuke’s life was in danger, they’d fight together. No matter what Sasuke would say. Sasuke reported back to Tsunade about the squad he’d created and she gave it the green-light. She told him to look out for her summon, as it probably would be coming soon

 

Over the next week, Sasuke met his team to train with them as a group and individually so he could know all their moves, and so they would know his. They then began coming up with a plan of attack, and developing their strategy. Halfway through the week the remainder of Team 7 came back to the village. They had discovered Orochimaru’s hideout and Team 7 engaged in open combat with the Sanin. Orochimaru had the upper hand though, and he ended up wounding Naruto, forcing them to retreat.

 

At the end of the week the Hokage had called together all of the squads. They’d met at the top of the Hokage tower. Sasuke looked around and he saw about 20 squads. Some with people he knew and some with people he’d never seen before. The Hokage stood before them. “I call you all here because you all have the same mission. You are all comrade-in-arms. I dub this group the Niju Shotai. Your goal is to track down any traces of the Akatsuki in the Land of Fire.” Tsunade declared. “Yahoo!” Kiba yelled out.

 

“You’ll be exchanging information and watching each other’s backs. If you encounter any members of the Akatsuki that’s too tough to handle be sure to send news, and I’ll have one of these teams backing you up.” Tsunade said. Shikamaru walked over to Sasuke and his team. “How troublesome that I get dragged into this.” he said lazily. “Who are you in a squad with?” Shikamaru asked. Sasuke gestured to Shino, Kiba and Neji. “These guys. I focused on our ability to track as well as fight the Akatsuki.” Sasuke explained. “I’m with Asuma, Izumo and Kotetsu. Fortunately Asuma’s the leader, so I don’t have to lead, but this whole thing is still a pain.” Shikamaru scratched the back of his head. “I ought to be getting back to my squad. We’ll see you around, seeing that we’re all on the same mission.” Shikamaru said. “Alright, see you. Take care of yourselves.” Sasuke said. “Now that you’re all done mingling and hopefully, exchanging information, I’ll let you all go. Be vigilant, and keep an ear out. Upon news of the Akatsuki I’ll be sending out teams rather quickly” Tsunade said.

Sasuke turned back to his team. “I’ll see you all later.” Sasuke said. “Alright Sasuke.” Shino replied. Sasuke made a handsign and vanished. Sasuke was walking through the village and he encountered Naruto when he was walking past Ichiraku’s. “Sasuke, what’s up?” Naruto asked. “Nothing much, the mission Tsunade gave me starting soon. What are you up to?” Sasuke asked, to distract Naruto from Sasuke’s mission. “I’ve started some training with Kakashi Sensei. I’m trying to create a brand new killer ninjutsu even better than my Rasengan.” Naruto bragged. “I’ve been wondering why I haven’t seen Kakashi lately.” Sasuke said. Naruto smirked. “After I create this jutsu you should come see it. Don’t wear any socks you like though, cause this jutsu will knock your socks off!” Naruto exclaimed. “Don’t brag too much… Naruto. You’re still a Genin, I outrank you. If you aren’t promoted soon even Konohamaru will be a Chunin before you.” Sasuke mocked.

 

“No way! As soon as the next Chunin Exam comes up I’m applying for it. I won’t be a Genin for long!” Naruto yelled. “Whatever…” Sasuke shrugged Naruto off. “I have better things to do besides chat with you.” Sasuke said as he walked away. A couple of days later the Niju Shotai was gathered again. Standing before the groups were Tsunade, Shizune and someone who looked like a monk. Tsunade spoke up “The Temple of Fire has been attacked by men in black cloaks with red clouds. That’s a sure sign of the Akatsuki. I want you all to move out and investigate this.” Tsunade ordered. Asuma looked struck by this information “The Temple of Fire? Where’s Chiriku, the former member of the 12 Guardian Ninja’s? He should be over there, what happened to him?” Asuma questioned. This time it was the monk that spoke “Chiriku was taken down by those fiends, he’s now dead”

 

Asuma was visibly taken aback by this information. “The Chiriku fellow must’ve been strong if Asuma seemed surprised that he died.” Sasuke thought. “We need to find out what their goals are. They are usually after Bijuu, so to see them attacking a Temple and killing a monk is surprising. If taking them in alive seems impossible, destroy them. Don’t let them escape the Land of Fire. Disperse!” Tsunade ordered, giving the signal. Sasuke looked at his team and they quickly jumped into the air. “Neji!” Sasuke yelled. “I know.” he replied as he activated his Byakugan. “Let’s follow Asuma, he seems to know about the person who died, and he seemed affected by it.” Sasuke ordered.   


“Are you sure?” Shino asked. “Positive, I’m sure Asuma will lead us to the enemy. If they try to retreat due to our numbers, our team is best equipped to track them down.” Sasuke said. “Asuma’s squad is only a couple of kilometers ahead of us.” Kiba said, as they were running through the trees. They’d left Konoha quickly and they were running through the Land of Fire. “This is a good distance, we’ll be able to help them quickly at this distance. After a short while, Asuma’s team reached the Temple of Fire. Kiba was getting ready to jump down and reveal themselves to Asuma’s team but Neji stopped him. “Don’t reveal our position yet. I don’t see any enemies, but if they do come, they’ll notice our numbers and they’ll be on their toes.” Neji explained. “I see what you’re saying.” Kiba said, as he took his spot in the trees.

 

Asuma began to chat with a nearby monk. Sasuke couldn’t hear them, Akamaru could though and he barked back to Kiba. “They’re going to bounty collection places, this Chiriku guy must’ve been a big shot with a pretty high bounty. The Akatsuki guys are going to collect on his bounty.” Kiba informed the group. “I don’t know where any bounty collection places are. Do any of you?” Sasuke asked. All of them shook their heads. “I guess we’ll have to continue to follow Asuma’s group. A veteran Jonin like Asuma is bound to know where places like that are.” Sasuke deduced. Asuma’s group began to move out in a different direction than they were going before. “He must know where a bounty collection place is. He isn’t heading back to Konoha.” Shino said. “Yeah, let’s move out as well.” Sasuke ordered as their group jumped through the trees in the direction of Asuma’s group.

 

They kept their distance from Asuma’s group as they jumped through the trees. Shortly after Asuma’s group arrived at the bounty collector’s. Sasuke’s group watched the scenario unfold. An Akatsuki member with slicked back silver hair, and a three pronged scythe was sitting on some stairs in front of the building. He must’ve been waiting on his partner, because as far as Sasuke has seen, they travel in pairs. Asuma was positioned at the Akatsuki member’s rear, and his team was placed throughout the area.

 

Asuma unleashed a volley of Shuriken at the silver-haired Akatsuki member and he easily blocked all of them with his scythe, quickly after he sent his let got of the cord his scythe was connected to, and tried to slice Asuma but the Jonin sidestepped it. Izumo and Kotetsu dashed at him from both sides and once he tried to move to protect himself he realized that he couldn’t move, he was bound by Shikamaru’s Shadow Possession Jutsu. “Too late…” Shikamaru muttered as his teammates pierced the Akatsuki member from opposite sides with their weapons. “Damn! That was quick.” Kiba remarked. “It couldn’t be that fast. All of the Akatsuki are S-class criminals. But I don’t know how he could survive that.” Sasuke replied in disbelief.

 

“One down!” Asuma smirked. The Akatsuki member with a pained look said “That hurt… dammit. What’s you guys problem?” Sasuke’s team and Asuma’s team were surprised. “How is he alive?” He was impaled from both sides!” Kiba asked. Neji activated his Byakugan to see if any trickery was going on but it was true, the man had been impaled from both sides, his vitals were hit and he should by all means, be dead. “They hit his vitals… I don’t know how he’s still alive.” Neji said in disbelief. So this is the Akatsuki… my brother is in a group of monsters, Sasuke thought. “We aimed for his vitals… so what the hell?!” Kotetsu yelled. “He must be invulnerable.” Izumo said. “Now you get it. Who the hell are you guys?” the Akatsuki member asked.

 

“We are Konoha Shinobi. We came to take you Akatsuki bastards out! We know you move in groups, we planned on taking you out and handling the second one. So where is he?” Asuma asked, preparing his trench knives. The silver-haired man grinned. “Looks like you guys went after the wrong guy.” he said. Before Asuma could ask where the other guy was, the other Akatsuki member punched Shikamaru, breaking the Shadow Possession Jutsu and knocking Shikamaru back. “This is getting a bit heavy for them. Let’s go in.” Sasuke said, as he gave the signal to his team. They all jumped into the fight, with Sasuke going to help Asuma and the rest of them helping Shikamaru.

 

“Asuma, this guy uses a scythe with a chain on it, it moves unpredictably and it’s dangerous. Let me take the lead here. I’m better suited for it with my Sharingan.” Sasuke said as he activated his Kekkei Genkai. While Sasuke spoke Hidan was taking the weapons he was impaled with out of him, he hardly flinched as he did it. Asuma grinned “The younger ninja should be the one to follow _my_ lead, but I get your point. I’ll back you up.” Asuma assured him. Sasuke dashed at the Akatsuki member and engaged him in combat. Hidan swung his scythe at Sasuke wildly and Sasuke was able to block all of his attacks due to his Sharingan. “Kakuzu… don’t interfere with my fight. I’m going to use these guys for my ceremony. You can handle the other guy, he has the 12 Guardian Ninja insignia on his sash, so he must be worth some money.” he said as he used the blood that was flowing from his wounds to draw a triangle with a circle surrounding it. “Another one of the 12 Guardian Ninja eh… I’ll take you on.” Kakuzu said, looking at Asuma. Asuma’s team quickly engaged in combat with him.

 

Sasuke’s team rushed over to him. “You’re going to need help, we’ll back you up, since Asuma can’t.” Neji said. “Alright, but be careful. He said something about a ceremony and he just drew some sort of symbol on the ground. My first instinct would be to get him away from that symbol. I don’t know what it does, but I’m betting it has something to do with his ceremony. I don’t want to find out.” Sasuke said. Neji and Sasuke both dashed at Hidan. Neji thrust his hand at Hidan and yelled “Eight Trigrams Vaccum Palm!” As he let loose a compressed blast of air that knocked Hidan out of his circle. Akamaru transformed into Kiba and began spinning quickly “Fang Passing Fang!” they yelled simultaneously as they dashed at Hidan and pushed him back further away.

 

Sasuke quickly dashed at Hidan and swung his Katana in a deadly arc, trying to behead him. Hidan kicked Sasuke in his stomach sending him backwards. He focused his attention on Neji next, lashing out with his scythe, trying to draw blood. Neji was elusive though and he was able to dodge his scythe. He tried to throw a kunai at Neji from behind him, so he couldn’t see and Neji, without even looking dodged it. “Does this kid have eyes on the back of his _fucking head_ ” Hidan yelled. “Basically” Kiba said as Shino’s insect quickly surrounded Hidan. “Secret Technique: Insect Sphere!” the Aburame said lowly. Shino’s insects began eating Hidan’s chakra, but he used a replacement jutsu to switch himself out with Akamaru. “Akamaru!” Kiba yelled, but Shino quickly called his insects off. “Close call!” Hidan said.

 

Sasuke made a handsign and grabbed his blade, infusing it with his Chidori. He dashed at Hidan who raised his scythe to block his attack, Sasuke grinned as he cut straight through it, breaking his scythe and slashing into Hidan’s neck, decapitating the man. “Fuck, I wasn’t prepared for that!” Hidan swore loudly. Sasuke turned to help Asuma fight Kakuzu, when Hidan’s body parts began to move towards him, trying to attack him. “Sasuke look out!” Neji yelled, and Sasuke turned to see Hidan’s lower half trying to attack him. Sasuke quickly cut through the rest of his body, chopping him into tiny pieces. Sasuke made a handsign and yelled “Fire Release: Great Fire Ball Jutsu!” Sasuke’s fire ball incinerated Hidan’s body leaving only ashes where his body was. “Fuck you! That was my body! I needed that!Kakuzu can’t even stitch my head onto my body anymore!” Hidan continued to swear at him. Sasuke then pulled out the sealing scroll Kakashi had given him on his 14th birthday. He placed Hidan’s head in the center of the scroll and made a handsign “Seal!” he said, as the head disappeared in a poof. “One down!” Kiba yelled. Sasuke and his team turned their attention to the second Akatsuki member, Kakuzu. Kakuzu had been manhandling Asuma’s team, they were visibly fatigued. Sasuke ran over to go help them as a black creature, seemingly made of thread, donning a mask was shooting a high pressurized blast of water at Shikamaru. Sasuke appeared in front of Shikamaru and made handsigns “Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!” Sasuke yelled as he slammed his hands into the ground, creating a wall that was at least a story high. His wall blocked Kakuzu’s gigantic blast of water.

 

Sasuke looked at Shikamaru “Inform me of the situation.” Sasuke ordered. “The enemy has more than one heart, his hearts are those pesky masks, they all use an extremely strong jutsu in each element. The mask you just saw was the Water Mask. The win condition is to take out all of his masks.” Shikamaru informed him, surprisingly calmly considering the situation. “Thanks for informing me.” Sasuke said as he stood up.

 

“Are you the one who took out Hidan?” Kakuzu asked. Sasuke activated his Sharingan. “Yeah, why? Do you want to join him?” Sasuke threatened. “You’re too young to be threatening me. I fought the 1st Hokage in his prime.” Kakuzu growled. “The new generation always surpasses the last. That’s the way the earth works. Old living things die, and they become the earth that nourishes new life. You’ve been here for too long, if you’ve fought the 1st Hokage. It’s time for you to go, it’s just the way nature goes.” Sasuke smirked. Sasuke dashed at Kakuzu and engaged him in close combat using his Gunbai. Kakuzu, despite his size was surprisingly agile, and good on his feet. He would’ve had a great advantage if it wasn’t for Sasuke’s Sharingan. Sasuke tried to kick the man but he wouldn’t move, he was hard like rock. Sasuke took a step back, and decided he’d be better off using ninjutsu. Kakuzu made a handsign and one of his masks began preparing an attack, with lightning sparking in it’s mouth.

 

The mask shot lightning directly at Sasuke and Asuma yelled “Duck kid, Wind Release: Dust Cloud Jutsu!” as he exhaled a dusty stream of wind. Sasuke quickly obliged and ducked as Asuma’s wind blast collided with the mask’s lighting attack. Asuma’s attack overpowered it and destroyed the mask. “We finally got one!” Asuma said. “I needed someone else who could use long ranged jutsu! With you here, we can finally go on the offensive.” Asuma said. “My heart… It’s fine though. I’ll just kill one of _you_ and take another one.” Kakuzu said menacingly. Kakuzu melded his two masks together and they released a gigantic blast of water infused with lightning, Sasuke jumped towards the blast and blocked it with his Gunbai “Uchiha Return” he yelled as his Gunbai absorbed the blast and returned it as an even bigger blast. Before Sasuke’s blast could hit the masks Kakuzu separated them, making the blast miss.

 

“That Gunbai brings me back. The Uchiha used to use them all the time.” Kakuzu reminisced. Neji jumped up to where Sasuke and Asuma were. “We’ll have to use elemental advantages to win this battle. If he can use both of his masks for coordination jutsu, we’ll have to coordinate as well.” Asuma said. Kakuzu melded two of his masks again and a huge fire blast, enhanced by wind came flying at them. Sasuke made quick handsigns and yelled “Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!” Sasuke released a fire blast that was big enough to match Kakuzu’s fire blast. While their blasts were clashing Neji and Asuma, under the cover of fire dashed to Kakuzu’s Wind Release Mask. Kakuzu made a handsign and his mask sent a huge blast of wind at Asuma and Neji. “Fire Release: Great Flame Jutsu!” Asuma yelled simultaneously with Neji who thrust both arms and yelled “Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!”

 

The Jonin’s combined attack was enough to overpower the blast of wind and destroy another one of Kakuzu’s masks. Kakuzu quickly melded both of remaining masks into himself. He spouted multiple tendrils and they began surrounding his body, his masks were right next to his head. “He melded all of his masks inside of himself? It should make him easier to defeat, seeing that now there’s only one target.” Kiba said. “Shadow Clone Jutsu” Kiba yelled as he made the correct handsign. “Since when do you know the Shadow Clone Jutsu Kiba?” Shikamaru asked. “Just recently, I can only make one, but it triples my power.” Kiba explained. “Back me up… I’m going in.” Kiba said confidently. Sasuke wondered what he had up his sleeve that made him so confident, but he’d see. Akamaru transformed into a clone of Kiba and they both jumped on the original Kiba’s back. They began to blend and transform into a gigantic three-headed hound. “Human Beast Mixture Transformation: Three Headed Wolf!” Kiba growled.

 

“This could work… let’s back him up.” Shikamaru said. Kiba began spinning “Tail Chasing Fang Fang Rotating Fang!” he yelled as he dashed to Kakuzu quickly. Before he could impact Kakuzu he jumped, taking the opportunity Asuma, Sasuke, and Neji dashed behind him “Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu” “Wind Release: Dust Cloud Jutsu!” “Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!” Sasuke, Asuma and Neji said simultaneously, both unleashing their jutsu at the surprised Kakuzu, who wasn’t fast enough to turn around and defend himself. Their enhanced fire destroyed both of the masks and left Kakuzu with severe burns. Once Kakuzu hit the ground Kiba dropped his transformation and Sasuke began to walk towards Kakuzu. The Akatsuki member tried to retreat and he realized he was bound “Shadow Possession Jutsu success.” Shikamaru muttered.

 

“Tell me where Itachi is!” Sasuke exclaimed, as he began to gather lightning chakra to his hand. “I would never tell you…” Kakuzu sneered. Sasuke activated his Sharingan and he tried to put him under a genjutsu to get the information he wanted. Sasuke was unsuccessful in getting anything out of him. “Chidori!” he yelled as he thrust his hand through Kakuzu’s heart. “Good job everyone.” Asuma said. It’d been some fight but they’d actually defeated two Akatsuki members with no casualties. Sasuke clenched his hand into a fist. He’d been getting stronger. He was able to take on two S-class Shinobi and win, a feat that most people can’t say they’ve done. He did have help, but Sasuke was satisfied with his contributions. He wasn’t happy that he couldn’t get any information out of Kakuzu.. but he still had Hidan.

 

“Crap, we were supposed to take them alive if we could.” Shikamaru said. “Don’t worry, I have the other one’s head. He’s still alive.” Sasuke assured them. “Let’s head back to the village.” Asuma said. They all head back and Sasuke and Asuma gave their mission reports. “We defeated both Akatsuki members. It was a hell of a fight, but we defeated them.” Asuma said. “I take it as you couldn’t take them alive.” Tsunade questioned. Sasuke shook his head “I have one of them here.” Sasuke said as he took his scroll out. Sasuke made a handsign and unsealed the scroll, revealing Hidan’s head. “Where the _fuck_ am I? What happened to Kakuzu?” Hidan yelled. Tsunade was visibly surprised. “How is he still alive?” she questioned. “He’s immortal it seems. His other teammate, the one we killed, had 5 hearts. Strange things like that seem like commonalities in the Akatsuki.” Sasuke said.

 

“Take him to torture and interrogation, they might be able to get something out of him.” Tsunade ordered. Sasuke shook his head “I doubt it. Every Akatsuki member I encountered was _very_ resistant to interrogation. I used my Genjutsu: Sharingan on his partner and I couldn’t get a drop of information out of them. Under the threat of death, none of them revealed anything about their organization. This one shouldn’t be any different. T&I can try, but I doubt they’ll have any better results than me.” Sasuke said. “Take him anyways.” Tsunade ordered. “You won’t get anything out of me _bitch!_ ” Hidan sneered. “Do you know who I am? I’m a Sanin, and the person who knows more about the human body than anyone. If anyone can find a way to kill you… it’s me.” Tsunade said darkly. “I doubt it bitch. You can’t do anything to me that anyone else hasn’t done.” Hidan said. “Leave him here with me Sasuke. I’ll get him ready for Ibiki.” Tsunade said with a gleam in her eye. The villagers of Konoha heard screaming from the Hokage tower all night long.

 

The next day Sasuke awoke and began making himself some breakfast, he was making eggs and sausages. He heard a knock on his door and he opened it. Sakura and Kakashi were at the door. “We heard you fought the Akatsuki.” Sakura said, with a slight blush as she realized Sasuke was shirtless. Sasuke put on his undershirt and replied “Yeah, I didn’t tell you but I’m in a task force that’s fighting the Akatsuki.” Sasuke explained. “Who did you fight? Don’t tell me it was….” Kakashi trailed off. “No it wasn’t Itachi. It was a pair of Akatsuki, they both had abilities that made them very tough to kill, one of them being downright immortal. My squad as well as Asuma’s squad took them on, I delivered the final blow on both of them.” Sasuke said. “That’s impressive, you are getting stronger it seems.” Kakashi complimented. “I hope so.” Sasuke replied.

 

“What are you cooking?” Sakura asked. “Eggs and Sausage, want some?” Sasuke replied as a bird began pecking his window. Sasuke looked at it and saw it was a crow…Itachi’s summon. He opened his window and the crow flew in, it had a message tied to one of it’s legs. It read “ _Sasuke, if you’re reading this it’s time for our battle. Meet me at the old Uchiha Hideout and come alone… I’ll be waiting.”_ Sasuke quickly hid the message and looked up at Sakura and Kakashi, who were both wondering what happened, and why Sasuke was looking so angry. “What happened?” Sakura asked. “Nothing, I have to go. It’s urgent.” Sasuke said. He walked into his room and put his clothes on quickly. Sasuke made a handsign and vanished.   
  
Sasuke was running through the village quickly. He had to get to the Uchiha Hideout as quickly as he could, Itachi wouldn’t wait forever. Sasuke had been waiting for an opportunity like this forever. He was ready now. He wasn’t inexperienced and weak like he was when Itachi defeated him. Sasuke had been preparing for the last 2 and a half years, specifically to destroy Itachi. He wouldn’t fail. Sasuke reached the village gates quickly and before he could leave the village he heard someone yell “Wait!” Sasuke turned back to see Sakura and Kakashi. “You’re going to fight Itachi aren’t you? I could tell based on the crow.” Kakashi said. Sasuke cursed Kakashi’s powers of observation. “Yes, I am going to fight Itachi. Don’t tell me I’m not ready, or I’m not strong enough.” Sasuke argued.

 

“We’re not. We’re coming with you!” Sakura said. “No! Itachi took everything from me… I’m going to give him the chance to take away two more people I care about.” Sasuke yelled. “We’re not coming to fight… we respect the fact that you want to fight alone. But you know the Akatsuki move in pairs, Kisame isn’t going to be that far from Itachi. What if _he_ decides to interrupt your fight. You won’t be able to beat both of them. That’s why we’ll be there. We’ll let you fight alone, but we’ll stop anyone who tries to interfere.” Kakashi argued. The had made a good point, and Sasuke thought about it long and hard. “Alright… you guys can come. But I’ll hold you both to your word. Don’t interfere in my fight, I’ll never forgive you if you do.” Sasuke said lowly. “Alright, let’s get going.” Kakashi said. Sasuke and the two people closest to him began running through the trees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a few changes to the plot again, they've been the highlight of writing this story. Sasuke joined the Niju Shotai, I always thought that if Sasuke stayed in the village Tsunade would've put him on one of the Twenty Platoons. Their goal was to hunt the Akatsuki and Itachi's on the Akatsuki. Sasuke would jump at that chance. Now it's time for the fated battle between brothers! I'll have fun writing that fight, but it'll be sad too. Anyways, I hope you all had fun reading. 
> 
> Always,  
> \----Ruumi


	11. Final Battle Between Itachi and Sasuke

Naruto: A Different Path

 

Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi were traveling for a while.The Uchiha Hideout was the former base of the Uchiha Clan, it was built on the outskirts of the Land of Fire. It was created in the Warring States Era long ago as a place where the Uchiha could gather their forces and hold meetings. It was abandoned after the Uchiha and the Senju came to an alliance and founded Konohagakure. “We’re getting pretty close to the hideout. If Kisame is around, you guys should transform yourselves into something inconspicuous. We don’t want a fight with him.” Sasuke said. “Good thinking.” Kakashi complimented as he transformed himself into a bird, Sakura did the same. They flew in the trees near where Sasuke was. Soon after Sasuke encountered Kisame. “You came alone like Itachi asked. If you didn’t…. well let’s just say I’d be cutting someone to ribbons!” Kisame exclaimed. “Whatever… is Itachi still there?” Sasuke asked, putting his hand on his blade. “I’m not trying to fight you, we’ll leave that to Itachi. It is a family matter after all. He’s still there, and I won’t interfere with your fight. I’m just here to stop anyone else from interfering.” Kisame grinned.

 

Sasuke walked into the Uchiha hideout and Itachi was there, sitting on a throne with the Uchiha crest engraved in it. Sasuke glared at Itachi and the elder Uchiha asked “What do you see when you use your Sharingan?” Sasuke’s Sharingan activated and blazed crimson. “I see your death!” Sasuke exclaimed. “You see my death? Is that right?” Itachi said calmly. A smirk tugged at Itachi’s lips “Well, make it happen.” he said calmly. Sasuke dashed at Itachi, drawing his blade and swinging it in a deadly arc. Itachi easily blocked Sasuke’s blade with his kunai. Itachi skillfully kicked Sasuke and swept him off of his feet and threw the younger Uchiha into a nearby wall. Sasuke gathered lighting chakra in his hand and released it through the ground. “Chidori Stream” he said. Itachi jumped, to avoid Sasuke’s lightning. Sasuke quickly got behind the elder Uchiha and infused his blade with Lightning Chakra. Sasuke stabbed Itachi, and he was sure to not hit a vital spot.   
  
“Itachi… before you depart to the next world, I want to ask you something.” Sasuke began. Blood began to run down the sides of Itachi’s mouth “You’ve improved Sasuke.” he said as he began to raise his hand up and point towards the throne where Itachi was still sitting, unharmed. The Itachi that Sasuke had impaled disappeared into a flock of crows. Sasuke stabbed Itachi from behind the throne with his Chidori Blade. “I said this is the _end_ you traitorous bastard, but before you die, I want to ask you something. So answer me this. On that night, you said that if I awakened the Mangkyo Sharingan there will be three people that can use it. I realized that it could only be someone that you didn’t kill, he must’ve helped you. Who is he?” Sasuke asked roughly.

 

“So you figured it out.” Itachi said. “Even you couldn’t have killed the whole Uchiha clan on your own. There must’ve been someone else, another Sharingan user. I’ll ask again… who is he?” Sasuke asked. “Why do you want to know…?” Itachi asked. “Because he’s going to be the one I kill next. I _am_ going to revive _my_ clan. I won’t have anyone else threaten the clan after I bring it back. “The one who helped me destroy the Uchiha was Madara Uchiha.” Itachi said seriously. “Madara Uchiha? Impossible, he was the co-founder of Konoha. He couldn’t still be alive.” Sasuke exclaimed. “That’s just a testament to his power, he’s very much still alive and kicking. You wouldn’t be able to kill him.” Itachi said. “Madara Uchiha was the first Uchiha to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan, which makes me help notice that you still don’t have the same eyes as me. Were you still not hateful enough to kill your best friend and obtain the power of the Mangekyo?” Itachi asked.

 

“I didn’t need to go through such lengths just for killing you Itachi. But forget about that, tell me more about Madara Uchiha!” Sasuke demanded. “Madara Uchiha was the first Uchiha to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan along with his younger brother Izuna Uchiha. Madara went on to lead the Uchiha clan with the power of the Mangekyo. But eventually his eyes fell into darkness, as that is the secret of the Mangekyo Sharingan. As soon as you acquire the Mangekyo, your eyes will begin a slow descent into the darkness. This process quickens with increased use of the Mangekyo. Then, he plucked his brother’s eyes out of his head, and gave himself eyes that will never see the darkness again. The Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.” Itachi said, stretching both of his hands out. “That is the power of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, after Madara acquired him he destroyed all of the Uchiha clan’s enemies with his unstoppable power. He was hailed as one of the world’s strongest Shinobi alongside Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage. Now _I_ seek out that unstoppable power, I will acquire it. You want to know why I kept you alive? It’s because you were my _spare_. This tradition has been practiced between Uchiha for years, killing their friends to obtain the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan and killing their siblings to make their eyes eternal. You and I will be no different.” Itachi said darkly.

 

Sasuke was horrified at the dark history of his clan. He couldn’t believe that his clan that he held in the highest regard would practice a tradition like that. Sasuke couldn’t let himself be carried away by his emotions though, he’s finally before Itachi. He wouldn’t let anything his brother said get to him. “Today, Madara is just a pathetic shell of his former self, he’s no longer worthy of being considered the greatest Uchiha. That title will belong to me, after I kill you and take your eyes. You, Sasuke! You will become my light!” Itachi yelled. Sasuke dispelled Itachi’s genjutsu and looked at the real Itachi, who was standing across the room. “Itachi, your story will end here. You are going to die before my feet today. It’s about time that I fulfill my goal, and avenge my clan.” Sasuke declared.

 

“You cannot win against me little brother, I possess the Mangekyo. Your goal will stay an illusion because you weren’t hateful enough to kill your closest friend and gain the Mangekyo. I guess you don’t want to avenge the Uchiha that badly after all…” Itachi mocked. Sasuke slipped his bandages off of his arms, revealing his seals. He’d hoped they would do him well in his battle with Itachi, as he knew how quickly Itachi could draw and release his shuriken. “Enough with your babble Itachi… you are just delaying the inevitable.” Sasuke said. Sasuke withdrew dozens of shuriken with his seal and unleashed them at Itachi, the elder Uchiha skillfully blocked all of them with his own volley of shuriken. Before their shuriken even hit the floor the two Uchiha dashed at each other, with Sasuke drawing his blade and Itachi drawing a Kunai. They clashed and Itachi grabbed Sasuke’s dominant arm and made a handsign almost faster than Sasuke could see. “A Shadow Clone? That fast!” Sasuke thought as Itachi’s clone quickly jumped and threw some kunai at him.

 

Sasuke skillfully swept Itachi’s legs from under him and used the actual Itachi’s body as a shield to block the clone’s attack. The kunai found their mark, but the real Itachi was replaced with the clone which poofed out of existence. The real Itachi disappeared into a murder of crows and Sasuke felt himself being shoved against a wall, Itachi was holding him by his neck and Sasuke tried to free himself but the elder Uchiha’s grip was too great. Itachi began to move to pluck Sasuke’s eye out and Sasuke couldn’t do anything to stop him. Sasuke screamed as his first eye was plucked. He saw the blood in his hand and he didn’t feel anything where his left eye should’ve been. Sasuke screamed out, cursing his own weakness. It shouldn’t have ended like this, Sasuke had been training for years for this battle. “Foolish little brother, this is why I told you to come before me with the same eyes as me. The regular sharingan can’t hope to defeat the Mangekyo.” Itachi remarked. “Now for the other eye!” Itachi exclaimed, with a sinister look. Itachi went to pluck the second one, and Sasuke, with all the willpower in his being, shattered the genjutsu that he was in. Sasuke breathed heavily as he did, as it had taken a lot out of him, but he broke the Tsukyomi.

 

Sasuke dropped to his knees, as he was still breathing rather heavily, but Itachi was doing the same as he. “Y-you broke my Tsukyomi. That should be impossible if you don’t have the Mangekyo Sharingan.” Itachi remarked. “You don’t know the lengths of my power, don’t tell me what’s impossible or not.” Sasuke said seriously. Itachi didn’t reply, instead making a handsign and channeling his chakra. Sasuke, not one to waste time began making handsigns and yelled “Fire Release: Fire Ball Jutsu!” Sasuke breathed out a huge fireball. Itachi, who’s reaction’s began to dull after the Tsukyomi, didn’t begin weaving his own handsigns. Instead, he jumped into the air and Sasuke drew his blade and infused it with the power of his Chidori. Sasuke tried to stab Itachi with his Chidori Blade, but he’d missed and instead cut the ceiling, revealing the sun. Itachi quickly got outside and before Sasuke could do the same Itachi made quick handsigns “Fire Release: Fire Ball Jutsu!” Itachi sent a huge fireball at Sasuke that he couldn’t dodge. Sasuke drew his Gunbai and blocked the fireball as he jumped outside.

 

Both of the Uchiha made handsigns simultaneously “Fire Release: Fire Ball Jutsu!” they yelled, both sending huge fireballs with Sasuke’s being bigger. Sasuke’s fireball began to overtake Itachi’s and the elder Uchiha was getting pushed back. Itachi’s eyes began to bleed and black flames engulfed Sasuke’s fire “Amaterasu!” Itachi yelled. The Amaterasu began to consume Sasuke’s flames completely and Itachi’s eyes began bleeding again. Sasuke began running as Itachi fired the Amaterasu but the black flames chased Sasuke. He couldn’t run forever so Sasuke unzipped his flak jacket and let the flames hit it instead of himself, however it had looked like Sasuke himself was engulfed by the black flames. Sasuke jumped back into the Uchiha Hideout and began making handsigns while Itachi was still distracted. “Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu!” Sasuke said as he released 3 gigantic fireballs that resembled dragon heads. The first one broke through the building and Itachi barely dodged it and the other two followed by closely.

 

Sasuke saw the effects of the Amaterasu, it was burning around them, heating up the sky, along with his Dragon Fire jutsu. A gigantic Cumulonimbus cloud was forming overhead, just as Sasuke had planned. But Sasuke was feeling the effects of the battle as well, he was exhausted and his chakra was running low. “This will probably be my final jutsu.” Sasuke announced. “No need to lie Sasuke. I can see your chakra with my Sharingan. You are running low, you aren’t out of chakra completely. But I doubt you can do anything of significance with the remaining chakra you have left.” Itachi said. “I won’t deny, those fire jutsu took a lot out of me. But they served a purpose...” Sasuke trailed off as it began to rain. A smirk touched Sasuke’s face. His revenge was finally coming to fruition. “But don’t think that I came here ill-prepared to kill you. It’ll be over in an instant, it’ll be like the wrath of god, striking down the traitorous Itachi Uchiha. It’ll be unavoidable… just like the Amaterasu.” Sasuke said as lightning struck somewhere nearby. Sasuke smirked “I’d always liked lightning, it strikes like a wrathful god. You’ll die by lightning Itachi.” Sasuke said as he began to run towards the edge of the Uchiha Hideout. “This jutsu’s power source is the lightning from heaven itself. All I have to do is guide it through your skull. I call it Kirin.” Sasuke announced. “Begone, with the thunderclap.” Sasuke said as channeled the lightning to Itachi’s skull.

 

A huge bolt of electricity struck Itachi and destroyed the Uchiha hideout. The cloud’s began to clear up, and it stopped raining, he wouldn’t be able to use it again. In the rubble Sasuke saw Itachi, he was face flat on the ground. “It’s all over… I finally did it!” Sasuke yelled. What happened next rocked Sasuke to his core. “Is that what you saw… in your vision of my death?” Itachi tauntedas Sasuke began to feel something sinister. Sasuke looked up to see an ethereal skeleton surrounding Itachi. The skeleton was orange-red color and it was only a rib cage. “If I hadn’t used this I would’ve been obliterated. Sasuke, you’ve become very strong.” Itachi said. Sasuke was awestruck, his Kirin hadn’t taken Itachi out. “Is that…?” Sasuke trailed off as the Curse Mark’s influence began to affect him. Sasuke hasn’t used the power of the Curse Mark in years, but it’s influence was always there. “Yes, this is the Susanoo. Anything else Sasuke? Before I take your eyes.” Itachi began to grin, he was taunting the younger Uchiha.

 

Sasuke was horrified as Itachi’s Susanoo began getting muscle and flesh atop of it’s skeleton, it was becoming fully formed. It didn’t last though as Itachi’s Susanoo began to deteriorate, going back to just a skeleton. Sasuke gathered his lightning chakra in his hand and ran up to Itachi and tried to pierce his Susanoo with the Chidori. He was unable to as a shield manifested and it knocked Sasuke back. Itachi began to walk towards Sasuke with a bloody hand outstretched. “My eyes...” Itachi muttered. Sasuke tried to stab Itachi, he used a fire ball jutsu, and he did everything in his power to kill Itachi. The elder Uchiha kept advancing and eventually Sasuke was out of chakra and his back was against the wall. Itachi began to reach out for his eyes, getting ready to pluck them. Instead he poked Sasuke, and smeared blood on Sasuke’s forehead as he collapsed, falling before Sasuke’s feet, dead.

 

That poke had made Sasuke begin to overflow with memories of when his brother was good, before the massacre. For a moment he was saddened, but then he was happy, joyful even. He’d avenged his clan, his parents. He’d taken Itachi out, now he could finally restore his clan. Sasuke smirked as he too collapsed. When Sasuke awoke, he was back in Konoha, in his bed with Sakura and Kakashi on opposite sides of his bed. He was in a daze as he awoke. “Wha-” he started as Sakura hugged him immediately. “What happened?” Sasuke asked. “You won. You defeated Itachi, he’s dead.” Kakashi informed him. It hadn’t been a dream… Sasuke had actually won. “What happened to Itachi’s corpse?” Sasuke asked. “We recovered it.” Kakashi assured him. “When we found you… with those wounds and everything I had thought the worst had happened. We thought you were dead for a while.” Sakura began to tear up a little. “I’m alright… these wounds aren’t going to kill me. I feel good, in fact I feel better than ever. I finally avenged my clan.” Sasuke said.

 

“The question is, what now Sasuke?” Kakashi asked. “I want to rebuild my clan, I want to recreate the Konoha Military Police Force and become the head of the Uchiha Clan.” Sasuke didn’t miss a beat. Sakura smiled and Kakashi looked reassured. “Well, you’ll have to take it easy for a while. I healed most of your external injuries but you still have a lot of mental fatigue.” Sakura said. “Thank you both. I’m glad you guys came with me.” Sasuke said. “Also, Sasuke there’s something you should know. Jiraiya of the Sanin is dead. I know you didn’t know him all that well. But I still thought I would tell you.” Kakashi said.

 

“Jiraiya died? Who would be strong enough to kill a Sanin?” Sasuke questioned. He was saddened by the news of Jiraiya’s death, he was close to Naruto and Sasuke knew that the blonde-haired ninja would be in a bad place because of it. “It was the leader of the Akatsuki, his name is Pein. Jiraiya went to go investigate Amegakure, which was always rumoured to be the birthplace of the Akatsuki. He went into open combat with Pein, and he fell in battle. He fought all 6 Path’s of Pein, the path’s are basically just human puppets, but they all have powerful techniques.” Kakashi said. “The leader of the Akatsuki?” Sasuke exclaimed. “Yes, he’s undoubtedly a very powerful ninja if he could lead a group of S-ranked criminal.” Kakashi confirmed. “How is Naruto holding up?” Sasuke asked. “He took it pretty hard, he’s not here anymore though, he left for training at Mount Myoboku, the home of the toads. They trained Jiraiya, so they’ll train him to learn Senjutsu.” Kakashi said.

 

“Thank you both for getting me back to the village, I’m in your debt. I’m going to go visit my parent’s graves. I can finally tell them I avenged them.” Sasuke said. Sakura and Kakashi left Sasuke’s house and Sasuke got dressed. Once he got to his parent’s grave he sat down. “I finally did it. I avenged you. Now I’ll revive our clan. The Uchiha Clan will not die with me.” Sasuke told them. He then went to the Hokage tower to inform Tsunade of his brother’s death. When he walked in her office she was doing paperwork. “Hokage, my brother is dead. He sent me a message yesterday, it had his location on it. I went and fought him and I killed him. I won’t apologize for leaving, because I had to. But I just wanted to tell you.” Sasuke admitted.

 

“I know. Kakashi informed me earlier today. I don’t blame you for leaving in the matter that you did, but I’ll encourage you not to do it again. If you do the consequences won’t be as light the next time. I have Itachi’s corpse, what do you want me to do with it?” Tsunade asked. “I want his eyes preserved. Do you know what the Mangekyo Sharingan is?” Sasuke asked. “I’ve heard about it from Kakashi.” Tsunade replied. “It’s basically an evolution of the Sharingan. It gives the user great power, but eventually it ends up blinding them with prolonged use. The reason I want Itachi’s eyes preserved is because if I unlock my Mangekyo, I’ll eventually go blind. If I switch my eyes out with Itachi’s then I won’t run the risk of blindness anymore.” Sasuke admitted. “That’s intriguing, I’ll preserve Itachi’s eyes for you. As far as the rest of Itachi?” Tsunade asked. “I don’t care, you can throw him in a hole if you want.” Sasuke said cruelly. “Alright, as far as the story goes with you killing Itachi, I’ll just tell people it was a mission. We don’t want people thinking Konoha ninja can just come and go on their own whims.” Tsunade said. “Thank you for covering for me.” Sasuke replied.

 

Some days went by and Sasuke had been stagnating. He knew what he wanted to do next, but he just hadn’t been doing anything. He’d just been enjoying his newfound inner peace. He wasn’t worried that he wasn’t strong enough to complete his goals, he wasn’t worried about Itachi, he wasn’t worried about pretty much anything. But one thing did threaten to disrupt his inner peace, the third Sharingan user, Madara Uchiha. He helped Itachi with the massacre, he was guilty as well. But if Itachi was hard to find Madara, who by all means, is a ghost would be impossible to find. So Sasuke wouldn’t try to actively seek him out. If he found him, he’d kill him, but he wouldn’t worry about him as much as he did Itachi. Sasuke had gotten a new flak jacket, seeing that his had been consumed by Amaterasu. He’d been roaming the village when he’d heard explosions nearby and he saw a giant centipede. Sasuke made handsigns and pulled his sword out, sending lightning chakra to his blade. He quickly cut the head off the centipede. “What the hell’s going on?” Sasuke said to himself.

 

Sasuke climbed atop a rooftop of a tall building and saw a battlefield. Konoha was engulfed in flames and Sasuke heard explosions nearby. He saw Kakashi nearby fighting someone with Orange hair and the Rinnegan in both of his eyes. Sasuke rushed to go help Kakashi who had tried to use a Chidori on the man but stopped in his tracks. He quickly joined his Sensei’s side in battle. “Sasuke, I’m glad you’re here. This guy is tough.” Kakashi said. Pein looked at Sasuke “Sasuke Uchiha, you’ve killed three of my Akatsuki members and have been a thorn in our side. I’ll get rid of you as well as Copy Ninja Kakashi.” he said. “Kakashi is this...” Sasuke trailed off. “Yes, it’s him. The leader of the Akatsuki, Pein.” Kakashi informed him. Sasuke realized how serious this fight would be, if this was the one who killed Jiraiya they would be in for a hell of a fight.

 

Sasuke made handsigns and said “Chidoi Stream!” He directed a current of lightning to Pein and is fizzled out before it could even touch him. “From what I’ve seen, things like that doesn’t work on him. He can push them away before they can hit him.” Kakashi said, as another Pein came to them. He was much bigger than the one they’d been fighting. He took off his cloak and revealed a gigantic blade with 6 arms. Deva Path raised his arm and Sasuke had began to feel drawn towards him. Sasuke made a Chidori and stabbed his hand into the ground, so he could resist being drawn in, eventually he was drawn in and stabbed, but Sasuke had created a lightning clone and replaced himself with it. Kakashi did the same and before Pein could react, two gigantic fists smashed them into the ground. Chouza, Choji, and other reinforcements arrived. _So he can draw us in and push things away from him… those abilities are troubling but he has to have some weakness_. Sasuke thought. “Kakashi, have you figured out his abilities yet?” Sasuke asked. “Yes, he can push and pull you in, but it seems that he can’t do it in quick succession. There has to be some type of interval.”Kakashi said. “That’s the same thing I thought, but we need the interval time to attack safely.” Sasuke replied.

 

“Hold on, let me do something, back me up guys.” Kakashi said. Kakashi subtly went underground and laid chains, he then came out of the ground to hit Pain but he pushed him away with Almighty Push. Chouza and Choji, who both were using their expansion jutsu, used human boulder from opposite sides of him. Pein stretched his hands out to use Almighty Push to knock them away, but before he could they stopped spinning and grabbed the chains Kakashi hid underground, binding Pein. Kakashi used his Chidori and Sasuke struck from above with Chidori Stream, but the Asura Path intercepted Kakashi’s Chidori and took the brunt of the Chidori Stream. Asura Path was destroyed due to the combined attack of Kakashi and Sasuke. Deva Path was unharmed though and he outstretched his hands and said “Almighty Push!” Sasuke, Kakashi, Chouza and Choji were all pushed back into the rubble behind them.

 

Sasuke was pushed into some rubble and he was stabbed by a nearby piece of wood. It had stabbed him in his side, it didn’t hit anything vital but it hurt like hell. Sasuke could see Kakashi nearby, and he could see Deva Path, but they couldn’t see him. He was surrounded by rubble, bleeding out, and felt like he didn’t have the strength to move. “Seems like you’re not a clone, and that you can’t move. This is the end for you.” Deva Path said. He then picked up a nail off the ground “You will know Pein!” He said as he sent the nail into Kakashi’s skull. Before it penetrated his skull, Pein walked away. Sasuke saw Kakashi warp the nail with Kamui at the last minute. _He survived,_ Sasuke thought. Choji got up soon after and he went to his dad, Chouza’s corpse. Choji began to weep as his dad was dead. “Choji!” Sasuke yelled out. Choji turned around and lifted Sasuke out of the pile of rubble he was in.

 

“You’re bleeding, it seems like a lot. Are you okay?” Choji asked. “I’ll live.” Sasuke muttered as he pulled the wood out of his gut, he sucked in a breath as he did. “I’m glad, both of you are alive. If you can move, go tell Tsunade about Pein’s powers. We have to find a way to beat him.” Kakashi ordered. “Kakashi Sensei, you’re alive!” Choji began. “Save it for later, You have to take Sasuke, and tell Tsunade about Pein. Don’t let Chouza’s sacrifice have been in vain.” Kakashi lectured. The head of Asura Path, which was separated from it’s body spoke. “You guys sure our persistent.” he said. He began to form some type of missile. “Get Sasuke and run Choji!” Kakashi yelled, as the missile began to follow them. Choji picked Sasuke up and began to run quickly. Sasuke saw the pattern of Kakashi’s Mangekyo Sharingan and immediately knew what he was going to do and what would happen.

 

The rocket warped away and Sasuke yelled “Kakashi!!” he saw his sensei, his friend, and his mentor’s head drop. Sasuke’s heart swelled up in his chest. _Kakashi was dead!_ He’d sacrificed himself for Sasuke and he knew that he would run out of chakra if he did it. But he did it anyways. Sasuke felt terribly guilty, if he didn’t get caught in that rubble, if he could move, he could’ve stopped the missile. Kakashi didn’t have to die. Sasuke felt immense grief, and his Sharingan activated. Sasuke began to feel a spark behind his eyes as his Sharingan changed from the 3-tomoe pattern to a pattern that resembled an atomic swirl, his Mangekyo was inverted from the regular sharingan as it was primarily black, but red in the inside. Sasuke felt energy flow through his body, but Sasuke would rest while he could. He needed to regain some chakra before fighting again.

 

After awhile Choji and Sasuke arrived where Tsunade was. She was in the middle of a circle, surrounded by Anbu. “Can you heal Sasuke, he got injured fighting the enemy.” Choji said. He laid Sasuke in front of the Hokage and she began healing him. “We got information on the enemy. The one we fought was about 25-30 years old, he had six nose piercings and seven in his ears. He uses a power that can attract and repel you. He can draw things towards him, and he can repel any attack. But there’s about a 5 second interval before he can use it again.” Choji reported. “Thank you, you just saved some lives.” Tsunade said. “Use Katsuyu to tell everyone else. Choji, go to your father, there’s a chance he can survive but you have to get him help quickly.” Tsunade ordered. Choji began tearing up and he said “Thank you, I’m on it!”

 

“Tsunade, Kakashi is… Sasuke trailed off. “I understand.” Tsunade said lowly and she began to look even sadder than she was. “I’m going to fight him again. I unlocked a new power, the Mangekyo Sharingan.” Sasuke said lowly. Tsunade began closing his wounds with medical ninjutsu. “Sasuke, be safe. I can’t stop you from fighting him again, in fact, until Naruto gets back you may be the only one who can stand your ground against him. Keep Katsuyu with you, she’ll heal you and give you my orders if I need to tell you anything.” Tsunade said. She finished healing him and Sasuke stood up. “Thank you… I’m going to avenge Kakashi!” Sasuke said lowly. Deva Path jumped down from somewhere and he appeared before Tsunade, Sasuke, and the rest of the Anbu surrounding her. “Long time no see, Tsunade.” he said.

 

“I’ve been wanting to talk to you.” Pein said. It took some time, but Tsunade recognized him. “You-you’re one of those brats from Amegakure that Jiraiya trained.” Tsunade said as she remembered him. “You know him?” Sasuke asked. Tsunade nodded. “Sasuke, it seems you survived. I’ll finish you though. Until then, where is Naruto Uzumaki?” Pein asked. “Who knows…” Sasuke replied. “We won’t betray Naruto as he’s an outstanding ninja of Konoha!” Tsunade exclaimed. “The balancing of the Tailed Beasts throughout the Five Great Nation’s has been lost. There will be a war soon, so there’s no use in hiding Naruto.” Pein remarked. “Don’t underestimate the 5th Hokage! You’re all just a bunch of thugs threatening to destroy the stability our forefathers worked for. It doesn’t matter what you say. We won’t give Naruto up!” Tsunade declared. “Don’t be so haughty.” Pein said darkly as a sinister chakra began to envelop them. The temperature around them seemingly dropped and they felt the weight of his chakra.

 

 _This chakra… is this the power of the Rinnegan?_ Sasuke wondered. “Either way, we _will_ find Naruto. With or without your help.” Pein assured. Tsunade smiled “Naruto is strong, so is Sasuke. You won’t have an easy fight.” Tsunade said. Pein closed his eyes and began to look a slight bit satisfied “It seems like Naruto is on Mount Myoboku. I no longer need any of you, or this wretched village…” Pein said. Sasuke and Tsunade’s eyes widened. “ _How does he know?_ ” was the question that both of them had on their minds. “It seems that you can’t hide Naruto anymore. Mount Myoboku is the frog village right? There’s no more reason for me to hang around.” Pein said. Pein jumped into the air, soaring above them and outstretched his hands, 5 figures appeared beside him as he did “You shall know Pain! Almighty Push!” Pein yelled, creating a huge shockwave that obliterated the village, pushing everything out from the epicenter of the blast.


	12. Sasuke and Naruto vs Pein

Naruto: A Different Path

 

“ _You shall know Pain!”_

 

Debris and rubble flew everywhere and Sasuke was sent flying as well as Tsunade. He would’ve collided with a wall as he was sent flying but Katsuyu, Tsunade’s summon, shielded him, and healed him of all the damage he took.

 

Tsunade stood up as tears dripped down her cheek. “How dare you destroy the village my predecessors lived and died for. How dare you tread on their legacy! I’ll never forgive you!” Tsunade yelled. Sasuke saw three gigantic toads nearby with Naruto standing atop them. “Naruto… you made it.” Sasuke said lowly. He was glad he didn’t have to fight this battle alone. Pein noticed him as well “This saves me the trouble of looking for you.” Pein said. The Six Paths of Pein began to assemble, all of them jumping to the Deva Path’s side. “I’ll kill you, as the Godaime Hokage I’ll end you here and now!” Tsunade yelled. “Looks like you have some understanding of my pain now. But since Naruto is here, I have no use for you.” Pein said as Asura Path began dashing at Tsunade. “The one I want...” he began. “Is me right?” Naruto continued, as he destroyed the Asura Path with a Rasengan from above him.

 

_Was that Naruto?! He took that guy out in a single blow. He didn’t move anything like before._ Sasuke thought. “There’s no need for the 5th Hokage to deal with the likes of these guys. Just go enjoy a nice cup of tea.” Naruto said. Sasuke noticed Naruto’s yellow toad-like irides and the orange coloring around his eyes. Naruto then realized something “Now that I have Sage Mode, I can sense everyone in the villages chakra. Is Kakashi out on a mission or something?” Naruto asked. Sasuke began to speak up, but it was too painful to say it out loud, so he remained silent. “… I see.” Naruto realized and had became saddened by it. Tsunade handed Naruto a portion of Katsuyu. “He’ll tell you about Pein’s jutsu.” Tsunade said. Sakura ran to Tsunade who was beginning to feel the effects of chakra exhaustion. She held her Sensei’s hand as she sat down. Sasuke hugged her after she finished helping Tsunade. “Take care of Tsunade, I’m going to help Naruto.” Sasuke said. “Be careful Sasu-” Sasuke cut her off by pressing his lips against hers and the two shared a kiss. “I’ll be fine… Naruto and I will look after each other” Sasuke said softly. He ran to where Naruto and the Six Paths of Pein were squaring off.

 

Animal Path stepped forward and slammed her hands to the ground, not even making the handsigns, “Summoning Jutsu!” she said and a Rhino began charging at Naruto. The blonde-haired ninja stood his ground and grabbed it by the horn and threw it into the air. Sasuke wondered where Naruto’s strength was coming from. Animal Path summoned two more beasts, one resembling a gigantic hound and the other resembling a gigantic ox. As they dashed at Naruto, Ma and Pa toads jumped from atop Gamabunta’s head and began weaving handsigns “Sage Art: Frog Call” they yelled as they began emitting sound waves from their throats. This stopped the beasts dead in their tracks and allowed Naruto the time to create a Shadow Clone and a gigantic rasengan “Sage Art: Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan!” Naruto yelled as he shoved his Rasengan into the belly of both of the beasts carving out orb shaped wounds into them and sent them flying. Naruto’s frogs sprung into battle, engaging in combat with Pein’s summoning beasts.

 

Naruto then looked back at Sasuke “Are you just going to watch me fight? Or are you too scared to join in?” Naruto taunted. Sasuke merely smirked as he reminisced on when he’d uttered a similar line to Naruto himself. “Not a chance, let’s go Naruto!” Sasuke yelled. Sasuke dashed to the Animal Path as she’d been the one who was creating all of the summoning beasts. Sasuke could feel Katsuyu shifting from inside his clothing, to the collar of his Flak Jacket. “This path is the one who only summons things. The problem is the shared vision between them. All of them share the same field of vision, so even if the enemy you’re fighting can’t see your attack, it may still dodge because the other one saw it. Before Sasuke got to her she quickly summoned a large bird with a very sharp beak, it shot straight at Sasuke and he thought about using the Mangekyo but quickly decided against it. “I’ll save that for the one we fought later.” Sasuke thought. Instead Sasuke sent chakra to his feet and jumped high into the air. The bird quickly did a beeline and shot up directly to Sasuke. Sasuke made quick handsigns and said “Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu!” he exhaled a huge dragon-shaped fireball and the bird couldn’t stop itself quick enough, colliding with Sasuke’s fireball and burning it. It began to collapse to the ground and Sasuke followed up with a swing of his blade, cutting off the beast’s head.

 

He then heard Naruto yell “Trust me on this, you’ll be fine!” Before he could realize what happened he was in Gamabunta’s mouth along with Animal Path. _I get it now… it’s because they share vision, so they won’t be able to see him fight here._ Sasuke activated his Sharingan. He began gathering lightning chakra to his hand and drew his blade, chopping the Animal Path into pieces, killing him. Gamabunta then opened his mouth, releasing Sasuke and the dead Animal Path. “Two down.” Sasuke said as he walked towards Naruto. Naruto made a shadow clone and began forming a Rasengan which took on the appearance of a gigantic shuriken. It was surrounded by wind, Sasuke realized that Naruto was a Wind Release user. “Is this what you’ve been working on?” Sasuke asked. “Yeah… Kakashi Sensei helped train me to use this jutsu” Naruto said, remembering that his Sensei had fell in battle. “This is a gift from Kakashi Sensei…” Sasuke said as he put some chakra behind his eyes and activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. “Let’s do this!” they said simultaneously.

 

Naruto and Sasuke eyed their enemies, the three Paths of Pain that were left. Deva, Naraka, Human. Naruto threw his Rasenshuriken and while it was in mid-flight Sasuke focused his eyes on it, and his eyes began to bleed and he unleashed the Amaterasu, which surrounded Naruto’s Rasenshuriken in black flames. Sasuke’s flames began to engulf Naruto’s Rasenshuriken and with Sasuke’s other eye he manipulated the black flames, to just coat the Rasenshuriken instead of engulf it. As it was about to clash with Pein, they leaped into the air. But the Rasenshuriken began to expand and rise. “Amaterasu!” Sasuke started “Rasenshuriken!” Naruto continued. Once the Amaterasu enhanced Rasenshuriken rose it tore through and engulfed the Human Path in black flames, and with it’s last moments it pushed Deva and Naraka Paths out of the way, saving them from their combined jutsu.

  
Sasuke began suffering from the strain of the Amaterasu, although it was only his first time using the jutsu. _So this is the Mangekyo Sharingan…_ Sasuke thought. “Sasuke! My Sage Mode power ran out! Hold them off for me for a little while.” Naruto said. “Alright!” Sasuke responded as he stared at his enemy. Sasuke made quick handsigns and said “Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!” Sasuke expelled a gigantic sea of fire at his enemies and as he did the Preta Path jumped in front of them and began absorbing the fire. Naruto, who had regained Sage Mode, used the fire as cover and slammed two Rasengan’s into the shoulders of the Naraka Path. “This is the one with the ability to revive the other ones. I know because I had defeated the one that absorbs jutsu, he shouldn’t be moving.” Naruto informed him. With the pesky path that revives the other one gone, this fight should go into our favor, Sasuke thought. Naruto began charging his Rasenshuriken, and Sasuke planned on igniting it with Amaterasu, but his eyes were still in pain.

 

Naruto threw his Rasenshuriken and as Preta Path began trying to absorb it, it transformed into a regular Shuriken. Naruto threw the real Rasenshuriken from behind them and as it was going to hit the both of them it was cancelled out. Deva Path had regained his power. “This’ll make this fight a lot harder now that he has his abilities back.” Sasuke noted. Deva Path put his hand out towards Naruto and he was drawn in to Preta Path, who quickly put him in a headlock. Sasuke was going to run to help him, but he then noticed that Naruto smirked. _He must be up to something_ Sasuke thought. A few minutes later Preta Path began acquiring frog-like features until he began turning into stone. Once the transformation completed Naruto broke the stone arms that had been wrapped around his shoulders. “Senjutsu chakra isn’t easy to handle y’know. If you absorb too much of it you run the risk of being turned to stone.” Naruto smirked. “One more left!” Sasuke said. “No, the bodies of Pein that you are fighting are just puppets. Someone is manipulating them from the shadows, a real body.” Katsuyu informed him. “Alright.” Sasuke said.

 

Ma and Pa toads, which had been gathering Senjutsu chakra stepped forward and Pein drew the male toad in to one of his black chakra rods “I already know that genjutsu.” Deva Path said harshly as Pa was impaled by the chakra rod. “Pa!” the other toads yelled. “Let’s go Naruto!” Sasuke yelled. Both of them dashed at Deva Path and Naruto created a Rasengan in his hand, with Sasuke creating a Chidori in his hand. They both thrust their hands towards Pein but he used Almighty Push and blasted them both away. Sasuke looked up and used the Amaterasu on Deva Path, remembering the 5 second interval. The black flames hit Deva Path directly in his chest and he yelled out in pain, before he could be completely consumed the flames disappeared. “This came at just the right time.” Pein said as he raised a hand towards Sasuke. “Your jutsu will be a problem, a shame I’ll have to kill you. You would’ve made a good replacement for Itachi in the Akatsuki.” Pein said as Sasuke was drawn towards him.

  
“Sasuke!!” Naruto yelled as Sasuke was pulled in as Pein was preparing to impale him with a chakra reciever. Sasuke closed his eyes to brace for impact but it never came. A purple ethereal ribcage surrounded Sasuke and it broke Pein’s chakra receiver. “Is this the Susanoo? My cells feel like their on fire and I just manifested it.” Sasuke said, examining himself. Sasuke looked at Naruto as they both began to charge at Pein. Naruto created three Shadow Clones and created a gigantic Rasengan in his hands and tried to hit Pein with it. Pein pushed Naruto’s Rasengan back, dispelling his clones and knocking Naruto on his butt. Sasuke weaved very fast handsigns and yelled “Lightning Release: Fireworks!” and several bolts of lightning surrounded Pein. Sasuke then lit his jutsu up with Amaterasu, and containing it with Shape Transformation, creating a blue orbs with black inside of them. “Kagutsuchi: Fireworks!” Sasuke yelled as they all burst. Pein quickly dispelled with Almighty Push before they could do serious damage.

 

“You’re even better than Itachi at manipulating Amaterasu it seems. It still won’t save you.” Pein told him as Sasuke began flying towards Pein. Sasuke used Kagutsuchi to light his Susanoo’s ribs ablaze quickly. Once Sasuke collided with Pein’s chakra receiver it lit on fire and he quickly discarded it. He then withdrew another chakra receiver to stab Sasuke with and Naruto tried to attack him from behind with two Rasengan. Pein turned quickly and grabbed Naruto by the wrist and nailed him to the ground with a chakra receiver. Sasuke tried to attack him and he put his hand out and set Sasuke flying. Pein quickly followed up by nailing the rest of Naruto’s limbs to the ground with chakra receivers. “Once I deal with Sasuke, I’ll deal with you Naruto.” Pein said. Sasuke got to his feet and stared Pein down, as he did, his Susanoo began growing more than just a ribcage, it grew a head and arms as well. Sasuke began to be in more pain, his cells burning even more now. “It’s all futile. I’m only doing this for peace. For this peace to be attained, Naruto has to die. I have nothing against you, you’ve just stood in my way.” Pein said.

 

Pein outstretched his hand and Sasuke was pulled in, he almost was impaled, until he quickly made a lightning clone and replaced himself with it. The lightning dispersed and electrocuted Pein. Sasuke created a Chidori in his hand and tried to trust it into Pein’s heart. Pein grabbed Sasuke’s arm and slammed him on the ground and pierced Sasuke with a chakra receiver. He’d hit Sasuke’s heart directly and with Sasuke’s last breath he said. “Tell Sakura that I’m sorry…” A red ball of pure chakra surrounded Naruto and when it disappeared was in his 6-tailed form.

 

When Sasuke awoke he was sitting around a fire with his father, Fugaku Uchiha, and his mother, Mikoto Uchiha. “Mother, Father?!” Sasuke said frantically. “Sasuke… my son. It seems that you’ve died young.” Fugaku said sadly. “I died fighting to protect Konoha. I was fighting the man who destroyed it, he had a Rinnegan.” Sasuke informed them. “A Rinnegan? The dojutsu that was said to be a myth? Someone has it?” Fugaku questioned. “Yes, they attacked the village, to take my friend Naruto, who’s a jinchuuriki.” Sasuke said.

 

“You’re friends with Naruto? I was the best of friends with his mother.” Mikoto replied. “Yeah, he’s an idiot, but he’s a good friend.” Sasuke admitted. “Enough about him… how have you been Sasuke?” Mikoto asked her son. “I’ve been good, better than I usually am. I have good friends, a girlfriend-” Sasuke began, before his mother cut him off. “A girlfriend?!” she asked excitedly. “Yes I have a girlfriend. Her name is Sakura Haruno. We were placed on the same Genin team together.” Sasuke filled her in. “What happened between you and Itachi?!” Fugaku asked seriously.

 

“I killed him. I avenged our clan.” Sasuke answered bluntly. “You… killed Itachi?” Fugaku eyes widened. “Yes, what else was I supposed to do? He’s the reason you guys are here. You would still be alive if it weren’t for Itachi!” Sasuke exclaimed. “No son… it wasn’t Itachi’s fault. He was placed in an incredibly tough situation because of me.” Fugaku said. “Because of you?” Sasuke questioned. “You didn’t know, because you were only a child at the time. But the Uchiha Clan was headed to war with Konoha. The Uchiha were dissatisfied by our decreased role in the village, and the fact that we were pushed to the outside of the village. We also took a lot of the blame from the Kyuubi attack, seeing that the Uchiha can control Tailed Beasts with their Sharingan. This angered the clan, and as their leader, I had to listen to the demands of the clan. Don’t get me wrong… I too was angered at the mistreatment of the Uchiha Clan.” Fugaku stated. “What does this have to do with Itachi?” Sasuke asked.

 

“Well you see, Itachi was working with the Anbu at that time. He worked directly under the Hokage and Danzo. The Uchiha Clan was heading to war with Konoha, and your brother has always been a gentle child, he hated conflict and war. At that time, if we would’ve fought against Konoha in a civil war, we probably would’ve lost. I see that, now that I’m not blinded by my anger towards Konoha anymore. With a civil war between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha, this could potentially open up the village to attacks from other villages. Itachi, above all things, wanted to keep that from happening. But the Uchiha Clan was on a war path, I was on a war path. We couldn’t be dissuaded to reconsider. The pressure I had put on Itachi, caused him to annihilate the Uchiha Clan. He loved both his village and his clan, but when it came down to it, he chose Konoha. That’s a decision I cannot blame him for, so Itachi took on the burden of annihilating the Uchiha Clan, and I’m assuming he probably fled the village after that, living a life on the run.” Fugaku said.

 

“I never wanted that sort of life for him. Itachi had the potential to change Konoha, he could’ve been the first Uchiha Hokage. I stole that away from my son and I regret it. Itachi had a choice, but Itachi, being the pacifist he is, chose the one that would result in peace. So he took on the burden of killing his own clan, his own flesh and blood, so that there wouldn’t be a war. If we would’ve went to war the whole Uchiha Clan would’ve been rounded up and killed, including you. Itachi chose to spare you, he killed everyone else, but he couldn’t bare to kill you. So when we saw him, blade drawn in the dark of the night, we didn’t try to defend ourselves. I could’ve, but I didn’t, I simply told him to watch over you. So don’t hate your brother, I was the one who put that pressure on him, and I was the one who forced him to chose between his family, and his country.” Fugaku said sadly.

  
“But he had a choice! He didn’t have to pick Konoha, he could’ve picked the Uchiha, and you all could’ve lived! It can’t be true, he fought me. Tried to take my eyes, tried to kill me!” Sasuke shouted. “Sasuke, it wasn’t an easy choice for him I’m sure. He loved his family, his village, and above all, he loved you. If we went through with our rebellion we would’ve been annihilated. I see that now, Itachi probably saw it then. So he chose to save you, by destroying the clan and leaving only you alive. Because if he didn’t massacre the Uchiha Clan, the massacre would’ve been done by Konoha, and they would’ve annihilated every Uchiha, including you.” Fugaku said.

 

Sasuke didn’t know what to do with the information he’d been given. For the first time in a long time Sasuke didn’t know who to blame, who to hate. His father, the village, and Itachi can all be blamed for the massacre, but Sasuke couldn’t bring himself to be angry at any of them. Instead, Sasuke was saddened that his brother lived and died as he did. Itachi didn’t deserve to shoulder the full blame of killing the Uchiha Clan. Sasuke was upset with himself as well, he didn’t bother to look find out anything about Itachi. He’d just focused on trying to take his brother’s life. “Itachi loved you, there’s nothing you could do to make him angry at you. Itachi loved you more than anything, you were his little brother.” Mikoto said as she hugged her son.

 

“It’s too soon for me to die. I wanted to resurrect the clan…” Sasuke began. “I wanted children. I wanted to bring back the Uchiha Military Police Force, I wanted to lead our clan into the next generation. **I still have things to do!** ” Sasuke said. As he’d finished talking Sasuke began to glow, he began examining himself and noticing that his arms and legs were all glowing. “What’s going on?” Sasuke wondered. Mikoto smiled “It looks like you still have things to do.” she said. “Continue to make us proud son. Don’t come back too soon. Live a long, fulfilling life.” Fugaku said.

 

When Sasuke regained consciousness he realized his chest was wet with tears. Sakura was crying over Sasuke, with her pink hair flowing wildly and tears flowing. She’d tried to heal Sasuke multiple times, and she’d accepted that he was dead. Sasuke lifted his head up “Sakura… I told you I’d be fine.” Sasuke said with a smile. Sakura hugged him, crying on his shoulder “You were dead… you almost left me. I don’t know what I would’ve done. Don’t leave me like that again.” Sakura cried as she squeezed him tightly. “I won’t.” Sasuke said tenderly, reassuring his girlfriend. Sasuke usually wasn’t one to show displays of affection in front of others, but he’d just awoke from the dead, he would make an exception. Sasuke stood up and smirked. “Naruto must’ve come through. He’s getting pretty strong, it’ll only go to his head.” Sasuke said. The villagers and the shinobi as well began to gather, awaiting Naruto’s return.

 

Naruto returned a couple of minutes later to a very warm welcome from the people of Konoha. “Naruto! Welcome back!’ they yelled. Several of the villagers began doting on him, asking if he was okay.Sakura walked up to him and hugged Naruto warmly “Naruto, you have to learn not to push yourself so hard. Thank you… for fighting alongside Sasuke, saving the village, and bringing everyone back..” she said. “Naruto, you’ve defeated Pein and brought everyone back from the dead. Who could’ve imagined the hyperactive, knuckle-headed genin I was placed on Team 7 could’ve done it. You’ve became the hero you’ve always wanted to be.” Sasuke said genuinely. “Thank you both. I’m glad you’re back Sasuke.” Naruto said. Kakashi watched the moment and realized that his team had grown, not just physically. Naruto was still hyperactive and knuckle-headed but he was also kind, reliable and strong. Sakura isn’t just stuck on Sasuke anymore. She’d grown into a fine Kunoichi in her own right, and she still had her love for Sasuke. Sasuke wasn’t just a loner, fixed on avenging his clan. He’d developed an unbreakable bond with the rest of his team, and he new goals.

 

The villagers and Shinobi began pitching tents and Kakashi, Sakura and Naruto left to go check on Tsunade but Sasuke lingered where he was. He knew Tsunade and he liked her, but he didn’t want to crowd the tent where she was. An Anbu with a white cloak shifted past him. “Sasuke Uchiha, the Daimyo has requested your presence at an emergency meeting.” he said. “An emergency meeting?” Sasuke asked. “Things like these are held after an emergency such as an invasion or the destruction of Konoha. We would like it if we could have more jonin, but you were one of the only one’s that we’ve seen to be available. The rest are tending to their injuries or helping with something else. If you don’t know where the building is you can follow me, I’m heading there as well.” he said. “Fine.” Sasuke replied. Sasuke followed the Anbu until they were at the outskirts of Konoha, they walked into the multi-story building. Sasuke saw the Daimyo, about 5 nobles, Shikaku, Asuma, Danzo, Homura, and Koharu. Sasuke took a seat near Asuma. “You got dragged into this too kid? It sucks.” Asuma said. “What’s going on?” Sasuke asked.

 

“This meeting will be concerned about the rebuilding of Konoha, you’ll find out how intense they get.” Asuma said. “Let’s start this meeting now that everyone’s here shall we?” the Daimyo said. “I still can’t believe this happened. We will throw all of our efforts and resources towards rebuilding the village. Will we have any help from our allies” a noble asked. “Our allies will continue you aid us in defending against the Akatsuki menace. Although they’ve been doing a lousy job at it.” Homura said. “I’m more worried about selecting a new Hokage.” Danzo said seriously. Sasuke was surprised, Tsunade was in a coma, not dead. She’d eventually wake up. But Kakashi had told him before that Danzo was a shady guy, Sasuke would be sure to listen closely to what he was saying. “Why can’t we just wait for Tsunade to wake up?” The Daiymo asked as she fanned herself. “Tsunade is in a very deep coma, there’s no telling when she’ll wake up. With the village in such a dangerous state, we’ll need a leader. Besides, Tsunade is responsible for what happened today anyways.” Koharu said.

 

“With the village in such a dangerous state, wouldn’t it be wise to keep the same leader that the people of Konoha already know?” Sasuke questioned. The Daimyo’s eyes shot to Koharu. “That may be true, but if we stagnate and Tsunade doesn’t awake from her coma, we would’ve had wasted time for nothing.” Koharu argued. “I had hoped to pick Jiraiya if this happened again. I liked him… but he’s passed on. Who should we elect?” the Daimyo asked. “I formally submit mys-” Danzo began. “I nominate Kakashi Hatake!” Shukaku said firmly. “The son of the White Fang? He’s an excellent nominee! Your opinions gentlemen?” the Daimyo said. The nobles began to chatter in agreement. “He’s strong, famous, and capable.” were all heard around the table. “I second the decision of Kakashi Hatake being nominated as Hokage!” Sasuke said. He knew Kakashi would argue, but he also wouldn’t want Danzo in the position. “I agree as well!” Asuma said.

 

“Who was Kakashi Hatake’s teacher?” a noble asked. “The Fourth Hokage.” Homura said. “The Fourth was Jiraiya’s Pupil. Jiraiya was the Third’s. Continuing this lineage seems acceptable to me.” the Daimyo stated. Danzo stood up. “The Third’s teachings have brought this village to the brink of ruin!” he yelled. The Daimyo was stunned by this. “The Akatsuki leader who devastated the village today was a pupil of Jiraiya’s, who was a pupil of the Third. His philosophy is weak! It’s soft! Don’t forget that it was the Third’s weakness that lead to the Suna’s betrayal and Orochimaru’s attempt to crush Konoha!” Danzo stated. Asuma stood up this time “Let’s also not forget that _you_ endorsed Orochimaru as the Fourth Hokage. Orochimaru is twisted and he would’ve run this village into the ground. That’s the man you endorsed. So while you talk about the Third’s legacy, let’s talk about the legacy of the man who’s known as the Darkness of the Shinobi!” Asuma yelled.

 

“Kakashi is raising an excellent team of Shinobi, one of them being Naruto who saved us from Pein today. Kakashi is an excellent candidate and he’s the most qualified of all of the candidates that have been brought before you Daimyo. Danzo is old, around the same age as the Third. It’s time to let the new generation lead, and Kakashi is a leader of the new generation.” Shikaku said. “I’m the man who can lead Konoha to the next-” Danzo started but the Daimyo cut him off. “I’ve already come to a decision. Kakashi Hatake will be appointed as the 6th Hokage.” the Daimyo said. Once Sasuke had gotten back to the tents he found Kakashi speaking to Naruto and Sakura. “Kakashi…” Sasuke trailed off.

 

“What’s up Sasuke?” Kakashi asked. “I just came from an emergency meeting with the Daimyo, Asuma, Shikaku, Danzo, and the elders were there. You were chosen to be the 6th Hokage.” Sasuke informed him. “6th Hokage?” Shizune asked. She was still at the side of Tsunade. “Tsunade’s still alive. Why would a 6th Hokage be chosen?” Sakura asked. “The elders were saying that they didn’t know when Tsunade would wake from her coma. Danzo pushed for himself to become the Hokage but Asuma, Shikaku and I, all pushed for Kakashi to become the 6th Hokage. The Daimyo agreed and she appointed Kakashi as the 6th Hokage.” Sauske informed. “It’ll be alright, I hardly want to be the Hokage. I would step down, but Danzo would be next in line. I’ll just wait until Tsunade awakes and pass the position back to her. There’s nothing to worry about.” Kakashi assured them. “Who’s Danzo?” Naruto asked, obviously confused.

 

“Danzo’s the guy who ordered Sai to be on Team Kakashi to replace Sasuke. He is a really shady guy.” Kakashi said. A few moments later a few Kumo ninja arrived in the tent. “I have a letter to deliver to the Hokage.” the Kumo ninja with a round hair cut and long bangs said. The ninja behind her had on Kumo-style flak jackets. One of them had white hair and carried a sword. The other was a redheaded woman that also carried a blade. “She’s unconscious, she fell into a coma. I can take the letter for you, I’m the new Hokage.” Kakashi said. Kakashi opened the letter and read it. “A Five Kage Summit?” Kakashi asked. “Yes, the Raikage has called one due to the rise of the Akatsuki. One of them tried to kidnap the Raikage’s brother, Killer Bee.” Samui said. “I’ll attend the Five Kage Summit. Konoha has also had problems with the Akatsuki as well.” Kakashi replied. The three Kumo ninja left as they were satisfied with his response and Kakashi turned to them. “Kakashi Sensei, what’s the Five Kage Summit?” Naruto asked.

 

“It’s when all five Kage meet and discuss issues that affect every great nation in the shinobi world. It doesn’t happen too often, so we have to take this seriously.” Kakashi said. “I’m allowed two guards to accompany me there.” Kakashi said. “Let me come with you Kakashi Sensei!” Naruto said instantly. “Naruto, if I let you come you’ll have to keep a cool head and keep the talking to a minimum. The Kage won’t be very accepting to your interruptions. Can you do that?” Kakashi asked. “Yes!” Naruto replied. “You can come then.” Kakashi said. Naruto smiled. “Sasuke do you want to accompany me also?” Kakashi asked. “I’ll go, a Five Kage Summit seems interesting.” Sasuke said.

 

“What’ll you do Sakura?” Kakashi asked. “I’ll stay here and look after Tsunade.” Sakura said. “Alright, we’ll be leaving soon, I just have to go check on some things now that I’m the Hokage.” Kakashi ran his head through his hair. Sasuke could tell Kakashi didn’t like having the responsibility of being the Hokage. “He’d better hope that Tsunade wakes up soon” Sasuke thought. “I have to leave too, I’m going over to the ruins of the Uchiha Compound. I’m going to see what’s still there. Once I rebuild my clan they’ll need a home.” Sasuke said. “I’ll be back to see you guys off when you leave.” Sasuke said.

 

Sasuke headed to the location of the former home of his clan, and they were indeed in ruins. “Another thing I’ll have to rebuild, along with the clan and the Konoha Military Police Force.” Sasuke said. He went to go examine if the Naka Shrine was still intact, and also to read it, he realized that he might be able to read more now because he had the Mangekyo. When Sasuke went to examine the secret entrance he vanished. Sasuke arrived at the peak of an enormous mountain range with a huge storm brewing. The storm cloud was so huge that it blocked out the sun, and it was dark. Lightning had struck nearby and then Sasuke saw _it._ It was a gigantic golden eagle with a size rivaling Naruto’s Toads. It’s primary feathers were a dark brown and it’s inner feathers were a lighter brown. It had a deep scar on the side of it’s beak. As it flew, storms followed nearby. It landed on the peak of a nearby mountain and when it spread it’s wings, it created a huge gust of wind. It’s brethren followed the wind, and all of them landed on nearby mountains surrounding Sasuke. Sasuke was in the middle of all of them, facing the biggest of the birds.

 

Sasuke was in awe of the beauty and strength of the birds. They all were different types of birds with some being eagles, hawks, and falcons. Sasuke hoped they weren’t his enemy, as there was a flock of them, and they all were gigantic birds. If he made a wrong move, theirs talons could find his throat, or he could be consumed by the storm they all seemed to generate when they flew. The huge golden eagle began to speak with a booming voice “Young Uchiha, we’ve watched you closely. Your jutsu you call Kirin pleased us. Nobody commands the storm as we do, humans attempt to by using their ninjutsu, but their chakra only goes so far. When you used Kirin, you didn’t attempt to lay claim to the storm. You harnessed it’s natural power, and guided it. It pleased us greatly that you differed from the other human who foolishly attempt to claim the storm as their own.” he said.

 

“Therefore, we decided to give you the chance to summon us, the bringers of the storm, the Thunderbird tribe. “What is your name? And how did you bring me here?” Sasuke asked. “My name is Ace, and I brought you here with a reverse summoning jutsu.” Ace said. “What is this place?”Sasuke asked, still looking around and taking in this place. The mountain range was simply huge and vast. Ace simply waved his wing and the sky cleared, as it did, dozens of younger much smaller birds flew past Sasuke. “This is Arashiyama, the home of the Thunderbird tribe.” Ace said proudly. Ace then flew over to Sasuke and lowered his head. “Fly with me young Uchiha.” he said. Sasuke hopped on his head as Ace began gaining altitude. Once he got to the right altitude he began flying, creating a storm behind him. “This is amazing, flying is amazing!” Sasuke said. “Yes, I wouldn’t be able to survive as a human, cursed to walk the earth instead of roaming the skies freely.” Ace said. “I wouldn’t say that we’re cursed. Humans can do great things as well, but this feeling of touching the sky, is something that’s outmatched. I see why you’re so proud of it.” Sasuke said.

 

Ace flew in a circle around the mountain and touched down on the peak of the mountain he was on. “I would take the time to introduce you to everyone, but you were doing something before we summoned you I’m sure. It’s time for you to sign your summoning contract.” Ace said as a normal sized bird flew to the mountain they were at, holding a summoning contract in his mouth. “Here’s the summoning contract father.” he said, dropping in front of Sasuke and Ace. “Thank you, Raiji.” Ace said. Sasuke unrolled the scroll and saw that the border was stylized with feather designs. “Only one other person ever signed this? Sasuke asked, seeing only one name that he couldn’t even read. “Yes, it was long ago. This generation of Thunderbirds have no idea who it was, neither do I.” Ace said. “Besides that, to do this right you’ll have to draw some blood and sign your name in blood. Then you’ll be able to summon us freely, on one condition.” Ace said. Sasuke knew there had to be some sort of catch, they wouldn’t just offer themselves to him for nothing. “What condition?” Sasuke said seriously. “The condition is that you are to bring fame to yourself and to the Thunderbird tribe. We haven’t been seen in battle for decades, people have forgotten our power. I want you to remind them.” Ace said pridefully. Sasuke smirked, it wasn’t anything crazy after all. “I can do that.” Sasuke said.

 

Sasuke took out a Kunai and drew some blood, he signed his name on the scroll. “Now you are able to summon us. It’ll take a significant amount of chakra to summon me, as I’m the leader of the tribe.” Ace said. “Alright, I have to be going back home soon. Can you reverse summon me back to Konoha?” Sasuke asked. “Yes, it’s no problem at all.” Ace flapped his wings and Sasuke was transported to the outskirts of Konoha where Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura were waiting. The first thing Sasuke noticed is that Kakashi had the Hokage hat strapped to the back of his backpack.“Took you long enough, you’re adopting Kakashi Sensei’s habits.” Naruto said. “How long is the trip?” Sasuke asked, ignoring Naruto’s remark. “It’s about a half a day’s worth of traveling.” Kakashi told him. “I just came to see you all off. Travel safely.” Sakura said. “Okay Sakura. We’ll be back before you know it!” Naruto said, sticking a thumbs up. “We’ll be fine, and we’ll keep Kakashi safe, not that he needs us to anyways…” Sasuke said. Kakashi smiled at his team as they began running through the trees.

Once they left Konoha and gained some distance from the village Sasuke heard rustling in the bushes. Eight ninja who looked like Anbu jumped at Kakashi from all directions, trying to stab him. Sasuke jumped to Kakashi’s right side and activated his Sharingan. He weaved quick handsigns and said “Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!” as he exhaled a huge fireball at the four Shinobi on his side. They simultaneously began making handsigns and yelled “Water Release: Water Bullet Jutsu!” as they all exhaled a stream of water. Their water began pushing back Sasuke’s Fireball and Sasuke activated his Mangekyo Sharingan and his eyes began to bleed as he used the Amaterasu. The Amaterasu almost instantly evaporated their water and it struck one of them square on his chest and he began to burn, dropping out of the trees. The other three ninja on Sasuke’s side jumped at him and Sasuke activated his Susanoo as they did, breaking their blades on contact. Sasuke smirked and made a handsign “Chidori Stream!” he said as electricity began to flow from his body, electrocuting all three of them. When Sasuke looked over he saw Naruto using the Rasengan to defeat the last couple of attackers. Kakashi was looking at Sasuke in surprise “You awakened you Mangekyo? When was this Sasuke?” Kakashi asked. “It was when you died when we first fought Pein. Anyways…” Sasuke trailed off. “Naruto, are any of yours conscious? We need to figure out who did this.” Sasuke said. “Yeah, he’s over here.” Naruto said, gesturing to a man who was on the ground but still moving. Sasuke walked over and sat the man up against a tree. “I’m not telling you nothing!” he said. Sasuke activated his Sharingan and used a genjutsu to interrogate the man. “He’s from Root. This is Danzo’s doing. He wants to get you out of the way so he could become the Hokage.” Sasuke said. “I knew something like this could happen. Danzo’s always wanted to become the Hokage. This is one of the most opportune times for him seeing that Tsunade’s in a coma and I’ll have to leave the village. He probably couldn’t resist the chance.” Kakashi said. “He really is shady. I guess you’ll need to deal with him once we get back.” Naruto said as they continued traveling.

 

After a while they reached the snowy Land of Iron. They could tell they were in the right place because of the three mountains that Kakashi said were named the Three Wolves. They went inside a large pyramid shaped building with banners with all the names of the Great Five Nations were hanging. The other four Kage were sitting down and once Kakashi arrived and sat down they all placed their hats. They sat in a circle with the mediator, the samurai Mifune, sitting in front of them all. Naruto and Sasuke along with the rest of the Kage’s bodyguards were in the back, behind the huge banners. When Naruto saw Temari and Kankuro he whispered. “Hey! How are you guys? I haven’t seen you guys in a while.” Temari and Kankuro turned to him and smiled. “We’ve been fine. I hate meetings like this. I wish it could just be over already.” Temari said in a bored tone.

 

“Listen up, I’ll go first.” Gaara spoke up. Sasuke began to listen closely. “The Five Kage sure has changed. You must be something special to be made Kazekage at your age. Your father must have taught you right, but he forgot to teach you manners.” Onoki said. Sasuke looked over to see Temari and Kankuro clenching their fists. “That old dog doesn’t have the right to look down on Gaara. Gaara is a Kage just as he is.” Kankuro said angrily. “That’s why _I’m_ here as the Kazekage today.” Gaara responded. “Cheeky brat!” Onoki laughed. “Stop interrupting Tsuchikage. Let the Kazekage continue!” Mei said. Gaara nodded to thank her. “I’m a former host, the Akatsuki captured me and nearly killed me to extract the Shikaku within me. That’s why I believe the Akatsuki is extremely dangerous. I’ve requested the aid from the other Kage’s many time, only to be ignored. The only Kage who didn’t ignored me is the former Hokage. She sent out a team that included the current Hokage, and they saved me from the Akatsuki and I’m in their debt.” Gaara said as he looked at Kakashi and he smiled.

 

“If a country gets it’s Bijuu captured, none of that responsibility falls on the other Kage. It’s embarrassing. You should’ve tried to recover it without the help of Konoha. Once it’s stolen you can’t expect other nations to help you.” Onoki chided. “That reasoning is why Iwa has lost _two_ of it’s jinchuuriki in recent times. That old style of thinking doesn’t work in these times. It’s a different world now Tsuchikage.” Gaara replied. As he finished his sentence the bodyguards for the Tsuchikage began to move and Temari and Kankuro did the same. The Tsuchikage’s bodyguards were near Gaara in a fighting position and Temari and Kankuro defended him. Temari withdrew her fan and Kankuro had his hand on his puppet scroll. “Temari, Kankuro, that’s enough.” Gaara ordered. They reluctantly stood down and Onoki called off his bodyguards as well.

 

“We are here to talk, refrain from acts of rudeness.” Mifune ordered. Everyone settled down and the discussion resumed. “Don’t be fearful just because the beasts have been stolen. It takes a lot of time, knowledge and skill to be able to control them.” Mei said. “It’s much easier when the hosts are young and they are able to grow with the beasts, adapting to them. Even then it’ll still be very difficult to control… right Kazekage?” Onoki jabbed at Gaara. Naruto walked from behind the banner into the center of the floor. “You have no idea what you’re talking about!” Naruto yelled. Everyone’s eyes widened as he continued to speak. Being a container for a Tailed Beast is extremely hard. Have you ever lived with something inside of you that wants nothing more than to break out of you and kill you?” Naruto yelled. “Naruto! Go back to where the others are. I took you here on the condition that you didn’t interrupt.” Kakashi ordered.

 

“It seems that even Konoha can’t control their Jinchuuriki.” Onoki mocked as Naruto reluctantly walked back to Sasuke’s side. Kakashi looked at Onoki and Sasuke could tell that he was trying to keep his cool.“We still are in possession of our Jinchuuriki, so a Kage who’s lost both of his shouldn’t have a lot to say.” Kakashi said coldly. “This is beginning to resemble the mere bickering of children. Get serious, you all didn’t come all the way here to just argue. You came here to discuss the bigger problem at hand, the Akatsuki.” Mifune said. “The leader of the Akatsuki, Pein is dead, he was defeated by Konoha’s Jinchuuriki, Naruto Uzumaki. With him gone they’ll be significantly weaker. Konoha’s has already taken out a large portion of the Akatsuki. My comrades and I dealt with Sasori of the Red Sand. Sasuke Uchiha, my bodyguard killed Hidan and Kakuzu, as well as Itachi.” Kakashi said.

 

The rest of the members were clearly surprised at the effort Konoha has taken to eliminate the Akatsuki. “With the Akatsuki on their toes what do you all think about a temporary Shinobi Alliance to deal with the remaining Akatsuki threat?” Mifune asked. Before anyone could react White Zetsu appeared from the floor. “Hello! Madara Uchiha is coming here soon!” he said. Sasuke exchanged looks with Naruto and they jumped to Kakashi’s side. Sasuke quickly assumed a battle position, if Madara was anywhere near how strong Itachi described, they’d be in trouble.


	13. Beginning of the Fourth Shinobi World War!

Naruto: A Different Path

 

“What?!” nearly all the Kage’s said simultaneously. “Madara Uchiha? He’s supposed to be long dead.” the Mizukage said. The Raikage jumped from his seat almost instantly and had his hand on Zetsu’s neck. “Where is Madara Uchiha?!” he asked. “If you don’t answer me, I won’t go easy on you.” the Raikage threatened as his grip got stronger. “Interrogating them is pointless. I’ve tried to do so with my Sharingan and I’ve been able to get nothing. They won’t give up any information.” Sasuke said. In response to this the Raikage snapped Zetsu’s neck easily. “Prepare for battle!” he said, and everyone became tense again. “No need to prepare for battle, I’ve only come here to talk.” A deep voice rang out. Everyone looked up to see where it was coming from and a man with an orange swirled mask and an Akatsuki cloak was standing at the top of the ceiling. Sasuke didn’t fail to noticed the Sharingan that gleamed from the only eye hole in his mask. “Madara Uchiha!” Sasuke spat as he jumped up and slashed at him with his blade, Sasuke merely went through the man and arrived on the other side. “What the hell?” He asked.

 

“You know him Sasuke?” Kakashi asked. Sasuke shook his head “When I fought Itachi, he told me there was a third Uchiha with the Mangekyo Sharingan. He told me that it was Madara Uchiha, which is why I came to the conclusion that this is him, as he has the Sharingan.” Sasuke said. “I’ve come here to discuss the Moon’s Eye Plan.” Madara said. “I have no intentions on listening to the Akatsuki, you bastards tried to take my brother away from me.” The Raikage said. The Tsuchikage shook his head “Let’s listen to him, and then we can decided what actions to take after.” he spoke calmly. The Raikage and the other Kage calmed down for the moment, but they still were ready for battle at a moments notice. “Onoki, it seems that your experience is showing. Well now that you are all ready to listen, I’ll now discuss my Moon’s Eye Plan. My plan is to have everything become one with me. I want to achieve a complete form in which all is united.” Madara said and it was obvious most of them were confused. Sasuke thought back to what Itachi said and realized something.

 

“Madara, you’re only a shell of your former self, so are you just trying to acquire you old power again?” Sasuke asked. “No, haven’t you read the Uchiha Stone Tablet now that you possess the Mangekyo? Yes, I do know that you’ve unlocked it, I have my agents watching all of the villages.” Madara said. Sasuke’s eyes widened and he didn’t say anything in response. “What Uchiha Stone Tablet? What do you know of this Sasuke?” The Raikage asked aggressively. “There’s a stone tablet that’s been passed down the Uchiha for generations. It details some things about the Uchiha Clan’s Kekkei Genkai, the Sharingan, and the evolution of the Sharingan, the Mangekyo. You can only read it if you possess the Sharingan, and you won’t even get the whole message then. If you unlock the Mangekyo Sharingan you’ll be able to read more.” Sasuke said reluctantly, he didn’t want to give up secrets that the Uchiha Clan has taken great means to hide, but if he didn’t tell them it would be suspicious. They might’ve even thought he was in leagues with Madara.

 

“That’s not all, this stone tablet was given to the Uchiha by the Sage of Six Paths, that’s why if you acquire the Rinnegan, you’ll be able to read the entire Stone Tablet.” Madara informed them. “The Rinnegan? If it’s a relic of the Uchiha Clan, what does the Rinnegan have to do with it. Isn’t the Rinnegan just a mutation?” Mei asked. Sasuke had the same question. “The Rinnegan isn’t a mutation and to understand my motives you all need to learn about the true history of this world. The Sage of Six Paths saved this world from a monster, this monster is the fused form of all of the Bijuu, the Juubi.” Madara said. “Get real, the tailed beasts only go up to nine!” Temari yelled. “As I said, it’s the fused form of all the Bijuu. The Sage of Six Paths became the Jinchuurki of the Juubi, in order to put an end to the it’s reign of terror. But the beasts chakra was so massive that if the Sage died, it would escape and terrorize the world once again. Fearing this, upon his deathbed he used his power to separate this beast’s chakra into nine parts. These nine parts became the tailed beasts, and he scattered them across the world. All that remained was the body of the beast, and he sent it’s body away to the sky and it became the moon.” Madara said.

 

“This is becoming even more less believable.” Sasuke said. “The Sage of Six Paths was beyond any measure of power that exists today. He could barely even be called human.” Madara replied. “So you’re gathering the pieces of chakra that made up the Juubi, but what do you mean to do with that power?” Mifune asked. “I will restore the Juubi, and after I do, I’ll become it’s jinchuuriki and I’ll use that power to magnify the power of my eyes to the ultimate level, and activate a certain jutsu…” Madara said. “What is this jutsu?” Sasuke asked. “A massive genjutsu, reflecting my own eyes from the moon’s surface, the Infinite Tsukyomi! I will cast my genjutsu upon all the humans on earth, keeping all of humanity under my control. I’ll become one with the world. It’ll be a world of dreams, everyone you’ve ever loved will be there, there won’t be any war or conflict. Sasuke, even the Uchiha Clan will still be alive in the infinite dream. This is my Moon’s Eye Plan.” Madara declared.

 

“An infinite dream where my clan is still alive… it’s a tempting offer, but I’ll decline. I will revive my clan my own way, and achieve my own dreams.” Sasuke replied. “Also, peace born of illusion is just a lie. Peace has to be created by our own hands.” Gaara said. “You say you plan on uniting the world, but to me it sounds like you just plan on conquering it.” Onoki said. “Well, you Five Kage haven’t done anything better. You all should know, true peace doesn’t exist. My plan will be the closest thing there is to it. Now hand over Naruto and Bee, and cooperate with my plan, otherwise there will be war.” Madara demanded. “I’ll never go with you Madara!” Naruto yelled. “I’ll never hand over my brother. You bastards already tried to take him from us before. I won’t allow it.” the Raikage said. “We won’t hand over Naruto either.” Kakashi replied, standing up and walking in front of Naruto. “I agree with that as well.” Gaara said. “I concur.” Mei said simply. “You won’t be able to beat the combined power of the Bijuu I’ve gathered.” Madara threatened. “We won’t give up. We’ll fight for both Naruto and Bee!” Kakashi declared. “Very well… since you want to be stubborn, I hereby declare the Fourth Ninja War.” Madara said.

 

“War? On all of the Five Shinobi Nations? You have to be joking!” Onoki was incredulous. “I don’t jest about things of this severity. Be happy I’m not collecting the Kyuubi’s Jinchuuriki now. The next time we’ll meet is on the battlefield. Prepare yourselves.” Madara said as he vanished into thin air. Sasuke was incredibly surprised that Madara Uchiha declared war on the world. “He said it himself that he’s a shell of his former self, why would he wage war? He must be confident in the power of the Bijuu.” Sasuke thought. “Where does this leave us?” Onoki asked. “We must create a Shinobi Alliance. There’s no other way to oppose the other seven Bijuu.” Gaara said. All of the Kage exchanged looks. “I agree, we won’t be able to fight him separately.” Mei said. “But we must protect the Jinchuuriki, I propose to keep them out of this war.” Mei continued. “I will not be kept out of this war. You all need to understand that we Jinchuuriki are Shinobi as well. We have things that we want to protect as well. Allow me to fight in this war!” Naruto exclaimed.

 

“No, Naruto. Madara would be able to steal you away anytime he wants. We’re fighting this war to protect both you and Bee.” Gaara said. “Gaara you yourself was a Jinchuuriki not to long ago. You know that we aren’t just weapons, the village’s tools. We’re people! I refuse to let people fight and die to protect me when I can fight. If my comrades have to die, I want to be there to die alongside them, not sitting around letting people die for me. I’m not a coward Gaara, and I never knew that you thought I was.” Naruto argued. “Shouldn’t we allow the Hachibi and Kyuubi to fight as a valuable military asset?” Onoki asked. “It’s unthinkable. Perhaps that would work for Bee, who has control over his bijuu, but Naruto doesn’t have any control over the Kyuubi. Perhaps if he did, we could have this conversation.” Gaara replied. “Bee has control over his bijuu? So if I had control over Kyuubi would any of you consider letting me join the battlefield?” Naruto asked. “It would be better for your argument if you did. If we used you, we couldn’t let the Kyuubi just run wild. If you had control over him you would be a better war asset, that’s the truth.” the Raikage said honestly.

 

“So make a deal with me. Allow me to train with this Bee person, and he can teach me to gain control of the Kyuubi. If I can control the Kyuubi fully, you’ll let me join the war. If I can’t control the Kyuubi, I’ll stay away from the war.” Naruto said, hardening his resolve. “That isn’t a bad deal, perhaps you all should consider it.” Mifune said. “I don’t have a problem letting the kid join the battlefield, once he’s able to control the Kyuubi.” Onoki said. “Naruto, you know that I believe in you. You aren’t a kid anymore, and I know you can take care of yourself. Controlling the Nine-Tails is a hard task though, so as you make this deal, be aware of that. But you have my full support Naruto.” Kakashi said. “Naruto, if we let you onto the battlefield we might just be playing right into his hands. He wants to draw you out with this war.” Gaara said. “You saw his jutsu, he can just pop in and out of places with ease. Who’s to say he won’t just pop in wherever you plan on hiding us, and try to take me anyways.” Naruto raised a good point.

 

“I’m not a kid anymore. I will gain control of the Kyuubi and I will help us win this war. Believe in me!” Naruto exclaimed. “Alright Naruto, you have my support, but you still have to gain the support of the Raikage and Mizukage.” Gaara said. “The Kyuubi and Hachibi are military assets, but I won’t allow uncontrolled military assets on the battlefield. But I’m not just talking about the Kyuubi. I’m talking about the behavior of the Shinobi as well. My brother Killer Bee doesn’t follow orders and would bring chaos to a battlefield. Would you do the same?” Raikage asked. “If you allow me on the battlefield once I gain control of Kyuubi, I’ll listen to orders. I just don’t want to watch my friends die while I’m on the sideline.” Naruto said. “I’ll allow you to fight, if its necessary. I’m still not willing to place both the Kyuubi and Hachibi in front of Naruto. Your focus should be on gaining control of your tailed beast. I will allow you to train with my brother.” Raikage said. “Mizukage?” Naruto asked. “I agree with the rest of the Kage on this matter. Once you gain control of your tailed beast you may join the war, but only then. Like Raikage said, you must follow orders, no arguing with the top brass.” Mei said. “So I can fight?” Naruto asked excitedly. “Yes, you may. I have a place where you and Bee can train together that our enemies won’t be able to find. You’ll go there to train.” Raikage said.

 

“Thank you! I won’t let you all down.” Naruto exclaimed. “We see here before us the formation of the first ever Shinobi Alliance! We Samurai will take part of this battle as well. We reject the fake dreams of Madara.” Mifune said. “You all should go back to your villages and prepare for war. We’ll have a united war counsel after you all go back to your villages.” Raikage ordered.

 

Sasuke, Kakashi and Naruto headed back to Konoha once the summit was over. Once they’d gotten back the village was rebuilding, but it had gotten much farther along from where it was. Sasuke walked over to the Uchiha Compound to see Inari working on it. “Inari? What are you doing here?” Sasuke asked. “I’m working for Konoha as a carpenter. Gramps and I wanted to repay our debt in Konoha’s time of need so we came to help. I was assigned to help rebuild the Uchiha Compound. How do you like everything?” Inari asked. Sasuke looked around and saw that his childhood home had been restored. The blood-stained wood was removed and it had looked better than ever. Everything wasn’t built yet, but Inari was making progress. “Thank you Inari, I’m glad you’re the one working on it. You’re doing great.” Sasuke said. “You’re welcome. Like I said, we wanted to help you guys out.” Inari replied.

 

An Anbu member showed up at the Uchiha Compound “Sasuke, we need you for the meeting. Kakashi Hatake is going to get sworn in as Hokage.” he said. “Another one of these meetings? Alright, I’ll go.” Sasuke said. They arrived at the place of the meeting and the Daimyo and Jonin were there. “Kakashi Hatake, we hereby swear-” the Daimyo began as someone burst through the door. “Wait!” he yelled. “What is it? We’re in an important meeting!” a noble said. “This is important too. Tsunade has woken up!” he said. Kakashi took a breath “I’m saved.” he said to Sasuke. They all went to the room where Tsunade was resting and both Shizune and Sakura were hugging her. “Bring me food Shizune! I need to replenish my chakras.” Tsunade ordered. Shizune quickly brought her some food and Tsunade began devouring it, growing less and less wrinkly and becoming more like her actual self. “I’m so glad you woke up, I was so close to being made Hokage. I was already nominated, but now that you’re awake I’ll give you all your responsibilities as Hokage back.” Kakashi said. “Shizune and Sakura told me about the alliance. I was surprised to hear that Onoki and the Raikage agreed.” Tsunade said.

 

“It just proves how bad things are right now.” Kakashi replied. “So, Madara Uchiha is he really alive?” Tsunade asked. “It seems so.” Kakashi replied. “Call a meeting as soon as I’m done eating, we must prepare for war!” Tsunade said. “Tsunade, can I speak with you privately?” Sasuke asked. “Sure, the rest of you, leave the room.” Tsunade ordered, and everyone walked out. “What’s concerning you?” Tsunade asked. “Since the war is coming up, I want to be a greater asset to the village. Remember when I asked you to preserve my brothers eyes in case I go blind? I may need to transplant his eyes sooner than I thought I would.” Sasuke said. “Why is that?” Tsunade asked. “Implanting the Sharingan of a close blood relative doesn’t just cure blindness, it grants the user an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. This is a better version of the Mangekyo Sharingan that is much less riskier previous version. I will no longer run the risk of blindness and my ocular jutsu should become much stronger than it was already. I will probably need the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan for the war, as I don’t want to risk blindness in the middle of combat, and I want to be as strong as possible to ensure victory. So I’m asking can you implant Itachi’s eyes into me?” Sasuke asked.

 

“I can do that, but not right now, wait till the war council is over and then we can go through with this.” Tsunade said. “Thank you. I’ll see you at war council.” Sasuke said as he walked away. About a month went by and after discussing plans with the rest of the Shinobi Alliance, the Konoha War Council began. Sasuke sat next to Kakashi, Asuma and Neji during it all. “The war council begins now. The first order of business is to secure provisions and ninja tools. Ninja will be divided into war and support divisions and we’ll have to determine how best to break down the war division into teams. We also have to discuss division leaders.” Koharu said. “The Shinobi Alliance has already discussed leadership and the divisions. We’ll just have to place our Shinobi where we see fit.” Kakashi said. “So what are these divisions and who are the leaders?” Tsunade asked. “Well the Raikage is the Supreme Leader of the Shinobi Alliance. Darui of Kumo is the First Division commander. That division consists of mostly mid-range fighters. Kitsuchi of Iwa is the commander of the Second Division. This division consists of close-range fighters. I’m the commander of the Third Division, which consists of close and mid-range fighters. Gaara is the commander of the Fourth Division, which contains long-range fighters. Shukaku is the proxy commander of that division as well. Mifune of the Land of Iron is the commander of the Fifth Dvision, a division for special operations, that features ninja with unique skills.” Kakashi said. “There are also four specialized divisions. There’s a Logistical Support and Medical Division, which is led by Shizune, which is comprised of medical ninja. There’s a Sensor Divison with Ao of Kiri as the commander, it’ll be comprised of Sensors. There is an Intelligence Division, that will be headed by Inoichi Yamanaka, for the purpose of information gathering and relaying. Finally there’s the Surprise Attack Division, who’s commander is Sasuke Uchiha. This division’s goal is to go behind enemy lines and ambush their forces.” Kakashi said, and Sasuke’s eyes widened as he did. “I’m a division commander?” Sasuke asked. “Yes, the Shinobi Alliance thought you were the best man for the commander of that squad so that’s where you were placed.” Kakashi replied.

 

“So now all we must do is place people in the divisions where they are best suited. Bring me a list of all Konoha Shinobi and their abilities.” Tsunade said. Sasuke sat through the rest of the war council and the day after Sasuke was preparing for the procedure of getting Itachi’s eyes. He was laying in a hospital bed and Kakashi was there as well. “Kakashi? Sasuke told me that if you use the Mangekyo Sharingan you’ll go blind eventually right? So why haven’t you exhibited any signs of worsening vision?” Tsunade asked. It was a good question that Sasuke hadn’t even thought about. Perhaps though it was because he isn’t an Uchiha. “To be honest… I’m not sure. My vision has been the same since I awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan.” Kakashi replied. “Sasuke I’m about to begin with this procedure. You’ll need to rest for a while, since your body will need to get used to your eyes. I’ll wrap your eyes in bandages after it’s done, so your vision will be able to adjust. Don’t take these bandages off until I tell you to. Hear me?” Tsunade said. “Yes, I know.” Sasuke replied. “Alright then… let’s get started.” Tsunade said as she began the procedure.

 

Sasuke awoke the next day after the procedure. “Are you in pain Sasuke? How does your eyes feel?” Tsunade asked. “I’m not in pain. My eyes feel alright, I can feel power flooding into me. When will I be able to remove my bandages?” Sasuke asked. “We can began removing them now, but slowly, so your eyes can get adjusted to this light.” Tsunade said. “Okay, I’m ready, let’s begin.” Sasuke said. Tsunade began unraveling the bandages slowly and Sasuke had begun seeing the light, but it hurt his eyes slightly. “Can you dim the lights? My eyes are a bit sensitive to the light.” Sasuke asked. Tsunade dimmed the lights lower and she began unraveling the bandages again and eventually the bandages had been completely removed. Sasuke’s eyes saw well in darkness and Sasuke noticed this. “These eyes see well in the darkness. Try turning the lights back on.” Sasuke said. Tsunade obliged and hit the lights and Sasuke’s eyes were completely adjusted. “Thank you Tsunade.” Sasuke said. “Today is the day we all head to Kumo. The Shinobi Alliance will meet up there.” Tsunade said. “Alright, let me test something first.” Sasuke said, then he walked out of the room.

 

Sasuke went straight to the training field and he activated his Mangekyo Sharingan and used his Susanoo. His Susanoo manifested as a ribcage, then a full skeleton and then it gained flesh and muscle, and a robe. This Susano’o had a bow and arrow and a malevolent face and a spiked chin and more armor than it’s skeletal version. Sasuke used the bow and arrow and it’s arrow split multiple trees in half. Sasuke then put more chakra into it and it became clad in armor. It held an orb and a sword manifested as well. Sasuke then deactivated the Susanoo and created a Chidori and used Amaterasu to put his flames inside of his Chidori and used Kagutsuchi to keep the black flames within his hand. Sasuke ran up to a tree and hit it with it and it pierced the tree and the tree caught ablaze. Sasuke smirked “Now I’m ready for war.” he said.

 

All of the Konoha ninja who were participating in the war began traveling to Kumo. Naruto was sent to train with Killer Bee as he agreed at the Five Kage Summit. They’d been made aware that Orochimaru is joining forces with Madara, and that they would be using a jutsu that revives the dead. They would also be using the Akatsuki members that they had remaining, Deidara, Kisame, and Zetsu. Once they all arrived, Sasuke received his new headband with the Shinobi crest on it. Sasuke tied it around his head proudly before he went to go meet his squad. They were one of the smaller squads and Sasuke had been informed on all of their abilities. “I’m Sasuke Uchiha and I’m the Commander of the Surprise Attack Division.” he said. “Yes, we know Sasuke. We found out not too long ago.” Sai said. “I’ve been informed of you guy’s abilities, have you been informed of mine?” Sasuke asked. His team nodded. “We read that both you and Sai have the means for aerial transport. Will we be using that in our strategy to ambush the enemy?” Kankuro asked. “Yes. I summon gigantic birds and Sai can create birds with his jutsu.” Sasuke said. Gaara and the commanders of the major units were standing in front of the amassed Shinobi Alliance. There was obvious unease because of Gaara’s placement as Commander General. Plus these Shinobi had to fight alongside with other Shinobi that they’ve fought wars and lost family members against, tensions were running high and nobody trusted each other. Some people even began to fight but Gaara quickly stopped it with his sand.

 

“In all of the Shinobi wars besides this one. All of the countries and villages fought for their own gain, and ninja killed each other with hatred in their hearts. That hatred created a lust for power which gave birth to me. I too used to be a jinchuuriki, and embodiment of hatred. I used to hate everyone and I only craved destruction, just like the Akatsuki. But my mind and heart was changed by one Konoha ninja. He saved me, we were enemies on the battlefield, I was destroying his home! But he spoke to me with no hatred in his heart, he understood me cause he too was a jinchuuriki. We are here because we’ve all suffered because of the Akatsuki. We are all just ninja! The enemy is after the friend who saved me, they are after the entire world. If the enemy gets their hands on the jinchuuriki and their plans go into fruition it’ll all be over. I want to protect my friend and protect the world! But I’m far to young to protect this world alone, so please lend me your strength!” Gaara yelled. The crowd began shouting in agreement. “If you’re with me, then follow me!” Gaara yelled, and the Shinobi Alliance roared. “Now move out!” Gaara yelled and the Shinobi Alliance began moving out. Sasuke bit his thumb and began making handsigns and yelled “Summoning Jutsu!” and Ace appeared. “Climb on! If you can’t fit on Ace than climb on Sai’s birds.” Sasuke ordered. Sasuke took half of the Surprise Attack Division and Sai took the other half on his ink birds. They began soaring through the air and they flew close to each other.

 

“You all know the plan right, we’re going behind enemy lines and delivering a preemptive strike!” Sasuke said. Sasuke looked and saw Omoi’s head in the clouds. “Omoi? Are you paying attention?” Sasuke asked. “Y-yes, I just wanted to ask something.” he said. “Spit it out.” Sasuke replied. “You, Kankuro and Sai are around my age. Aren’t you guys worried about this war?” he asked. “Of course we are, but I’m choosing to focus on achieving victory in this war. So should you. If you keep your head in the clouds and your attention divided, the enemy will take advantage of that. If you want to protect your nation, your family and your world, we need your attention right here.” Sasuke said. They landed and they stood in a forest. “We’re within enemy territory now, let’s set up camp here. Then we can prepare our ambush.” Sasuke ordered.

 

“Omoi, place explosive tags around the perimeter. Sai, keep an eye out from the sky. Sensors, keep looking for their chakra signatures. Ittan, use your Earth Release to dig a trench. Tango, keep chakra communications open so we can relay everything we need back to HQ. Kankuro and I will take the lead in battle.” Sasuke said and everyone began their assignments. Ittan began making handsigns and started digging the trench and Omoi placed the traps. “Somethings coming! I can’t figure out what, some sort of Jamming Jutsu is interfering.” Zaji said. They began hearing someone coming and someone burst through the trees. “That’s Muta! I know him, he’s from the Aburame Clan, he’s apart of the scouting party.” Zaji yelled as he began running towards him. “Wait! This could be a trap!” Sasuke yelled. Sasuke activated his Sharingan and looked at them, the pot on his back wasn’t didn’t have the chakra of the Aburame Clan’s bugs, he’d known from working with Shino. “Back away! That pot doesn’t have the chakra of the Aburame Clan’s bugs.” Sasuke ordered. “Get away from me…” Muta said lowly as Muta quickly put Zaji in a headlock. Kankuro began using his chakra threads to pull Zaji away from Muta’s grasp. “Ittan now!” Sasuke yelled as Ittan slammed his hands into the ground and made a huge wall.

 

Muta exploded, just as Kankuro had gotten Zaji free from his grasp and behind the wall. He was wounded but alive. Sasuke clenched his teeth as they’d lost Muta. “Explosions huh? It must be that one Akatsuki member, Deidara.” Sasuke deduced. “Kiri, heal Zaji, and be ready, they’re coming now.” Sasuke said. A white bird flew above them and clay spiders dropped down on them. Sasuke began making handsigns “Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder!” Sasuke said as he destroyed all of the clay spiders. “Deidara, it is you!” Sasuke yelled. “The one and only!” Deidara said. His eyes weren’t dark, nor did he have the cracks on his face, Deidara was alive. “Kankuro! Handle things down here, I have to fight him, he’s more dangerous than the other ones.” Sasuke said as he jumped into the sky, and Ace, who’d been soaring above them, swooped to catch Sasuke. “I’ll handle everything, just keep him off of us!” Kankuro replied.

 

Sasuke soared into the air and he and Deidara began sending his clay creatures at Sasuke, and Sasuke used the Chidori Stream to keep them from getting too close. Deidara made a clay dragon in his hands and the clay owl that he was standing on started flying at Sasuke quickly. Deidara created his gigantic clay dragon to fly on instead. Sasuke activated his Mangekyo Sharingan and his armored Susanoo came into form. Sasuke’s Susanoo held an orb of Amaterasu and a blade made from his Amaterasu and it held a shield in it’s other hand. Sasuke shot out magatama projectiles which were made from the orb of black flame. His flames found their target and incinerated the clay owl. “My art will beat that pathetic Sharingan of yours.” Deidara sneered. “No, you’ll die here today, to the power of my Sharingan.” Sasuke replied as he created another hand with his Susanoo. This one wielded a bow and Sasuke lit it with his Amaterasu. Sasuke fired at Deidara’s dragon’s head and Deidara could barely dodge, instead making the arrow hit his bird’s wing. The whole bird began being burned by the black flames and it began dropping out of the air. Ace began diving quickly as Deidara was falling and Sasuke jumped off into the forest where Deidara had landed.

 

Deidara sent two small, but quick birds at Sasuke soon as he dropped down. Sasuke ran his Chidori through them. “You can’t explode your clay if I use my Chidori.” Sasuke said. Deidara released a steady stream of clay from both hands that became clay soldiers. These soldiers stumbled towards Sasuke and he began attacking them relentlessly with his Chidori Blade. But the soldiers didn’t disappear or explode, they just kept separating and coming back. Sasuke continued to cut them down and Deidara smirked and made a handsign once they’d surrounded Sasuke. A large explosion went off and went the dust cleared Deidara saw Sasuke standing there unscathed, with the Susanoo’s ribcage covering him. “This fight is over, you’re not close to my level anymore.” Sasuke mocked. “This isn’t over! I’ll kill you, whatever it takes! I won’t let a loser with a Sharingan beat me again!” Deidara said as he ripped off his shirt revealing a mouth on his chest. Deidara began to become more and more transparent and he said “This is my ultimate art!” Sasuke realized that he was gathering all his chakra at that mouth in his chest and he quickly ran to Deidara and pierced the mouth with his Chidori Blade. “I told you, it’s over!” Sasuke said as Deidara’s blood wet Sasuke’s blade and he began bleeding from the mouth. Sasuke quickly sheathed his blade and hopped back on Ace. “Come on, we have to return to the battlefield.

 

Once Sasuke returned to the battlefield he saw the aftermath of a chaotic battle. Sasori had been trapped inside on of Kankuro’s puppet, and he’d turned to dust after the battle, and the sacrifice was in the puppet instead. Sai had fought his brother and he’d won, turning him into dust as well, revealing the human sacrifice as well. “Did you deal with Deidara?” Kankuro asked. “Yeah, he’s no longer a problem. “Let’s move out!” Sasuke ordered and they jumped on the birds again and began searching for another Akatsuki cell. They hadn’t gotten too far before they saw a group of ninja. The group consisted of Haku and Zabuza and two other ninja that Sasuke didn’t know. “Ace do it!” Sasuke said as Ace began creating a huge storm as he flew. Sasuke created two Chidori’s in his hand and guided the lightning “Twin Kirin!” Sasuke yelled as two huge bolts of electricity blasted the enemy group. The enemy group was destroyed but began reforming themselves quickly. “Use your flare! We’ll need reinforcements to seal these guys away.” Sasuke ordered. The red flare was used to let the other squads know that they needed reinforcements. “It’ll take awhile for them to get here, so we have to hold our ground.” Sasuke said.

 

A cold chill ran through the air and Sasuke could see his breath, as could Sai, who was flying next to him. An Ice Mirror formed right behind Sai and Haku appeared in the window. “Duck Sai!” Sasuke yelled as Haku began throwing Senbon. Sai quickly ducked and Sasuke activated his Mangekyo and used the Amaterasu on Haku’s mirror, melting it quickly. “Remember when you told me that my fire wouldn’t melt your mirrors Haku?” Sasuke asked. “I remember well. Why are we here? We died back on that bridge right?” Haku asked. “Yes, you did. You’ve been brought back by Orochimaru of the Sanin. This is a war between the Allied Shinobi Forces and the Akatsuki.” Sasuke said as he blocked his incoming senbon. Haku began subtly making another mirror behind Sasuke when a foot kicked him out of the sky. Sasuke turned to see Kakashi, Sakura and the rest of the 3rd Divison. Sasuke jumped off of Ace and landed in the clearing in the forest.

 

“You’re late as usual, Kakashi. I could’ve finished this battle with the first blow if I had a sealing team.” Sasuke said and Kakashi smiled. “Some things never change.”Kakashi replied, looking at Zabuza and Haku. “I knew we’d be fighting people, but I never thought it’d be you in your brats again.” Zabuza said. “Look, your Kunoichi’s all grown up. The Uchiha as well. What happened to the blonde one? He’s the reason we lost, he as to be famous by now.” Zabuza said. “The named that bridge after Naruto, and he’s become a real hero. Thanks to you all he’s found his own path and he’s grown into a great ninja.” Kakashi said. Zabuza’s eyes widened and his expression turned cold. He began riling up his chakra and before he lost his mind he pleaded “Kakashi… please stop us.” Haku began clutching his head “So hot, it seems my consciousness is fading.” Haku said. Zabuza made a handsign and a thick fog enveloped the area. Kakashi slipped up his headband and Sakura, Kakashi and Sasuke all went back to back to back. “Commander Kakashi, that Iwagakure guy has the Explosion Release! His name is Gari and he’s a member of the explosion corps like Diedara. That woman is Pakura, a wielder of the Scorch Release, from Sunagakure. Be careful. “Get in formation around the sensors! Be careful, Zabuza can lock on to a target with just sound!” Kakashi said.

 

The fog began to thicken and the air began to get colder. The pressure was on and the killing intent was heavy in the air, it reminded him of the first time he’d fought Zabuza and Haku. Sasuke smirked “This time won’t be anything like the last. I won’t waver, and you won’t have to make your speech about not letting your comrades die. I’m ready this time.” Sasuke said. Yells and screams began to ring out as the silent killing had begun. Zabuza and Haku was appearing behind their forces and picking them off one by one. Pakura and Gari were also using their Kekkei Genkai to thin the Allied Shinobi Forces numbers, people were getting mummified and explosions rang out through the area. One explosion was near them and Sasuke heard the person’s screams as he died. “Gaaaah!” he yelled. “No way! He just blew Tajiki up!” a Kumo ninja yelled. He then tried to attack Gari and Haku quickly shot out of his mirrors to kill him and Lee and Gai interfered. “Leaf Hurricane!” they both yelled, kicking Haku back.

 

“Gai!” he yelled. “Your comrades will die on the battlefield! You have to be prepared for the worst, that is the nature of war! If you let it get to you, more people will die. Turn a comrade’s death into another person’s life!” Gai said. From the mist, both Haku and Zabuza clashed with Kakashi and Sasuke. “It’s time to retaliate.” Sasuke replied as he blocked Haku’s senbon with his blade. Gari and Pakura jumped back and began making handsigns “Summoning Jutsu!” they yelled as six caskets rose from the ground. “I can’t believe it, these guys too!?” Kakashi said. “Who are these guys?” Sakura asked. “The strongest generation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!” Kakashi said. Kakashi began running at them and made a Lightning Blade in his hand and said “Sasuke!” and Sasuke ran on the opposite side and said “Right!” as he created a Chidori in his hand. The both of them created a large lightning cable and both dashed to opposite ends of the Seven Swordsmen, slicing them in half. “Now!” Kakashi yelled and Ensui quickly bound all of them with his Shadow. “Maki do it!” Kakashi ordered and a cloth stretched out and sealed up all of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. “All right! Now we just have the Kekkei Genkai users.” Sakura said.

 

Sasuke glanced at Haku and used the Amaterasu, hitting him square in the chest and he began to burn. The flames were burning quicker than Haku could reform himself and Maki used her cloth to seal Haku up as well. Gari attacked Sasuke from a blind spot and used his Explosion Release: Landmine Fist on Sasuke. Sasuke was unharmed as he’d used the skeletal version of his Susanoo to shield himself from the attack. Pakura jumped at him and began using her Kekkei Genkai to create three orbs of searing fire. Sasuke grabbed Pakura out of the sky and used the orb of Amaterasu to light Pakura on fire as well, tossing her on the ground and letting her burn. Sasuke stopped his fire as the cloth began to wrap around Pakura and seal her. Sasuke glared at Gari and placed a genjutsu on him that bound him, allowing Maki to seal him as well. The 3rd Division and the Surprise Attack Unit began cheering. “It seems that new Sharingan of yours made you quite powerful Sasuke.” Kakashi said. Sasuke clenched his fist “It seems so.” he said. One of the ninja in the 3rd Division burst through the line “We’ve just got news from HQ. Previous Kage have joined the battlefield and the leader of the Uchiha Clan, Fugaku Uchiha has been resurrected!” he said. Sasuke’s blood turned cold “They’ve resurrected my father?!” he questioned as he bit his thumb and began making handsigns “Summoning Jutsu!” Sasuke said and Ace appeared. “Sasuke don’t do anything too rash.” Kakashi warned. “Where has my father been resurrected?” Sasuke asked coldly. “On the coast of the Land of Lightning.” he said. Before Sasuke could jump on top of Ace’s back Kakashi grabbed his shoulder. “Calm yourself now Sasuke. If you’re already this angry you’ll just be angrier on the battlefield. Remember, however much he may look and act like your father, he isn’t your father. Remember that.” Kakashi warned. Sasuke took a deep breath “Yeah, I know.” Sasuke replied. “Do you have any sealing tags? I don’t know any Fuinjutsu so I won’t be able to seal him away.” Sasuke said. Kakashi handed him some sealing tags and Sasuke jumped on top of Ace’s back and flew off.

 


	14. Sasuke's Fury

Naruto: A Different Path

 

“ _The former leader of the Uchiha Clan, Fugaku Uchiha has been resurrected!”_

 

 

Sasuke’s mind was racing as he was flying off to the battlefield. _Did they only revive father, or is everyone else back as well? How will I react when I see them? I cannot lose my cool in the midst of battle, but then again how could I not? I have to listen to Kakashi, however way he may act, he isn’t my father. Besides, I already got to say goodbye to my father during Pein’s attack. I’ll have to take him out, so he won’t continue to hurt anyone._ Sasuke arrived at the north-western coast of the land of lightning and he saw the Allied Forces fighting thousands of White Zetsu and the resurrected ninja. Sasuke’s eyes scanned the crowd looking for his father and he saw him make handsigns and shoot a fireball at dozens of the allied forces. They screamed as the flames hit their skin. “Get me lower.” Sasuke ordered, and Ace went lower and hovered above the ground. “Thanks, you can go back now.” Sasuke said as he jumped off and quickly got in front of a ninja who had stepped up to his father. “Let me handle this.” Sasuke said. “Yes commander! I’ll join the fight against the Zetsu!” he replied. Sasuke looked into his father’s eyes. He’d been exactly the same as he remembered him. “ _Commander_? Looks like my son has grown up to become quite a capable Shinobi.” Fugaku said as he dashed at Sasuke, kunai in hand.

 

Sasuke blocked it “I can’t believe this jutsu… making me fight against my own son.” Fugaku said as kept on attacking him. Sasuke was blocking his attacks well and Fugaku began running through handsigns and yelled “Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!” and he unleashed a massive fireball at Sasuke. Sasuke created his own handsigns and said “Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!” and his fireball collided with his father’s. “I remember when I first taught you to do that Sasuke.” his father said as he jumped in the air and launched a kick at Sasuke, which Sasuke dodged. But as Fugaku flew past Sasuke, he threw a kunai at him from his blindspot. “Sasuke dodge!” he yelled and Sasuke blocked it with his blade. “I’d prefer this better if you didn’t have your personality. That sick bastard Orochimaru is toying with me, keeping your personality intact and pitting you against me.” Sasuke spat. “So Orochimaru is behind this? I’ve always known he was twisted, but to be capable of resurrecting the dead to fight in a war? That’s despicable. People shouldn’t have to see their loved ones on the opposite side of a battlefield, they might learn things about them that they were never meant to know…” Fugaku said.

 

Sasuke blocked a punch from Fugaku and swept him off his feet quickly. “What are you implying father?” Sasuke asked seriously. Fugaku quickly rose to his feet and said “There were some things that you were never meant to know...” and Fugaku’s Sharingan pattern quickly changed from the basic 3 tomoe to a pattern with three dots, and three curves. “F-father, you have the Mangekyo Sharingan? That doesn’t add up to the number of Mangekyo Sharingan users that Itachi told me about.” Sasuke said in disbelief. “Yes son, I’ve had it for a long time and I’ve kept it hidden, Itachi most likely was talking about alive Mangekyo users.” Fugaku replied. “So you killed your best friend?” Sasuke asked. “No, I witnessed a good friend die in the 3rd Shinobi World War. That’s how I unlocked it.” Fugaku said. “I have no intention of hurting my own son, but this wretched jutsu is making me. Get away from here son, go get help!” Fugaku said as his eyes began to bleed and Sasuke quickly activated his own Mangekyo. Both father and son yelled simultaneously “Amaterasu!” and both of their black flames collided with each other. “You also have the Mangekyo Sharingan? Don’t overuse your Sharingan, you’ll go blind!” Fugaku asked. “My eyes are eternal.” Sasuke replied and Sasuke manifested the skeletal arm of his Susanoo and grabbed his father.

 

“I’m preparing to seal you now, if you have anything to say before hand, tell me now.” Sasuke said. “I’m proud of you Sasuke. I know you’ll bring the clan back to it’s further glory and to even greater heights. You’ll be a great leader for the future generation of the Uchiha son.” Fugaku said. “I’m going to do it. After this war, my priority will be the resurrection of the Uchiha Clan. I won’t let you, mother, or Itachi down.” Sasuke said and his father smiled. Sasuke flung a sealing tag at Fugaku and the seals spread across his body, sealing him away. Sasuke’s heart began to grow cold, he had to end this war. Sasuke made handsigns and bit his thumb and yelled “Summoning Jutsu!” and with a puff of smoke, Ace appeared. “Get me above the battlefield. We’re going to do that jutsu we practiced.” Sasuke ordered. “It’s finally time to bring glory to the Thunderbird Tribe!” Ace yelled as Sasuke jumped on his back. Ace flew off and looped around the battlefield. Sasuke made handsigns again, and summoned the rest of the bigger birds in the Thunderbird Tribe. They flew above the battlefield and whipped up a fierce storm that darkened the sky. “What is that?” Multiple Allied Forces Shinobi asked and Sasuke made handsigns and yelled “Lightning Release: Fireworks!” and he created tons of orbs that blanketed the sea of White Zetsu. Sasuke then created the Chidori in his hand that directed the lightning from the sky onto the orbs. This charged the orbs and it made a huge chain of lightning that fried thousands of Zetsu. The Allied Shinobi began to roar and they jumped into the battle with newfound vigor. Sasuke landed on the battlefield and sent his summons back to their home.

 

Back at HQ- “ _We’ve_ _just got news, tens of thousands of White Zetsu have been wiped off the battlefield single-highhandedly by Sasuke Uchiha. He used a flock of birds that whipped up a storm that blackened the sky and he took out most of the Zetsu in one incredible Lightning Release Jutsu!”_ _Inoichi said. “Sasuke has been holding out on us it seems, he reinvigorated the entire platoon and made them rush into battle.” Tsunade said. “Naruto Uzumaki and Killer Bee has also been placed on the battlefield, they’ve been making a tremendous effort on the battlefield and thinning the enemies numbers greatly.” Inoichi reported. “It looks like the Hokage’s faith in those two weren’t misplaced, they are changing the course of this war.” Raikage said._

Darui walked over to Sasuke through the chaos and said “It seems like the Raikage has a contender for best Lightning Release user.” “I was already a contender, now I’m the _best_.” Sasuke replied, panting heavily. That jutsu had taken a toll on his stamina and chakra reserves, Sasuke would have to rest for a while. Just as Sasuke began to relax, he was kicked into some nearby rocks. He looked up to see who’d kicked him and he saw a Kumo ninja with a silver headdress and whisker-like marks, that reminded him of Naruto. “They’ve even revived the Gold and Silver brothers! Sasuke, stay out of this battle! That jutsu had to take a toll, let me handle this one.” Darui ordered. “Shouldn’t you say us?” Asui said as him an Samui jumped to Darui’s side. “Alright, I’m trusting you to handle that.” Sasuke said as he ran over to go help some ninja that were fighting Kakuzu.

 

“Kakuzu, didn’t I kill you already?” Sasuke said and Kakuzu shot his tendrils out at Sasuke, trying to grab him. Sasuke activated his Mangekyo Sharingan and used the Amaterasu on him, but Kakuzu blocked it at the last second, by manifesting one of his masks. “You did kill me the last time, but this time, I have an immortal body. They said I was immortal the last time, I can’t die for real this time.” Kakuzu said, as he began running at Sasuke with his masks following behind him. The wind mask shot a huge blast of wind at him which he quickly overpowered with the Amaterasu and destroyed the mask quickly. “Your masks can’t beat me if they are separate, I’ll make quick work of them.” Sasuke said. Kakuzu melded his Fire and Lightning masks together along with himself. “I’ll kill you properly this time.” Kakuzu taunted. Kakuzu jumped and Sasuke made a Chidori and created a small orb of Amaterasu inside of his Chidori to increase it’s power. Sasuke dashed at Kakuzu, using his Sharingan precognition to avoid his tendrils and smashed his Chidori into Kakuzu “Kagutsuchi Chidori!” Sasuke yelled as the Chidori pierced him and the Amaterasu burned him. Before he could recover, Sasuke flung a sealing tag at him to seal him away.

 

As Sasuke finished his battle, a large tail whipped at him and Sasuke barely avoided it by jumping. Sasuke looked over to see a form that looked similar to the Kyuubi on the battlefield. “Naruto?” Sasuke thought immediately but Naruto wouldn’t be reckless enough to hurt his comrades. This must’ve been an enemy. Sasuke jumped down to where Darui was fighting the beast. “What’s the situation?” Sasuke asked as he dodged a swipe from it’s tail. “This is Kinkaku, he’s a legendary shinobi from Kumo. He and his brother have some of the Kyuubi’s chakra because they fought it and it swallowed them, and they began eating it from the inside until the Kyuubi let them out. We have to seal him away, Shukaku has a plan.” Darui said calmly. A bolt of lightning struck in front of Darui and a huge pot appeared. “This is the central part of the plan, we’ll seal him with this.” Darui said. Shikamaru, Ino and Choji quickly appeared on the battlefield. “Sorry we’re late, let’s get started.” Shikamaru said. “Everyone, throw your kunai at the beast!” Darui ordered. The Shinobi Alliance rained down a huge amount of kunai at Kinkaku, and he blocked them with his tail. Choji quickly slammed into him “Human Bullet Tank!” he yelled. Kinkaku was able to catch him and throw him into the air, as he did Shikamaru caught him with the Shadow Possession Jutsu. Kinkaku quickly broke out of it and began to attack Shikamaru, but Ino quickly used her Mind Body Switch Jutsu and stopped him. “I got him. Hurry!” she yelled from Kinkaku’s body. “Kinkaku!” Darui called. “Yes!” Ino replied and Kinkaku was quickly sealed inside the pot and Ino quickly returned to her own body.

 

The war raged on and night fell. Sasuke and his allies thinning enemy numbers, they were doing pretty well, even though they’ve had casualties. As Sasuke had just finished sealing someone, a huge statute appeared on the battlefield. The statue was huge and earthen with spikes protruding on it’s back. It had nine eyes and all of them were closed. Sasuke’s first thought was to go take it down, but he withheld on that thought. Someone summoned it, so it had to be a diversion of sorts. The person who summoned it is probably a much bigger threat than the statute itself. Choji quickly grew in size and started fighting the beast. Sasuke felt a presence and realized someone was near the sealing pot. It was Madara Uchiha, but he’d made changes. His mask was white and it looked like a Sharingan, with tomoe for the eye holes. The most notable change was his eyes. He had a Sharingan in one eye, and a Rinnegan in the other. “I knew you’d come here, that giant statue was just a diversion. Back away from the sealing pot.” Sasuke said as the Chidori chirped in his hand. He quickly dashed at Madara and he went right through him. “I could care less about the sealing pot, I just want what’s inside.” he said as he reached for it. “ _The Kyuubi’s chakra. He needs it!”_ Sasuke realized. Shikamaru quickly used his Shadow Possession Jutsu to stop Madara from grabbing the pot.

 

“You guys are worthy enemies, a shame that you’re not on my side.” Madara said as the hand of the statue came down on them. Sasuke quickly grabbed Shikamaru and got out of the way of the statue, allowing Madara to get the pot. “Damn.” Shikamaru swore. The statue disappeared right after it tried to hit them. The platoon Sasuke had joined up with incapacitated nearly all of the enemies and the next day, Sasuke received orders from HQ. “Sasuke, our sensor division has discovered Orochimaru’s location. We want you to go there to get him to release the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu, its the one that’s bringing dead Shinobi back to the world of the living. If you kill him, the jutsu can’t be released, so its very important that you don’t kill him before he releases the jutsu. You must place him under a Genjutsu with your Sharingan and force him to release the jutsu. If you do that, we’ll only have to fight Madara Uchiha and the White Zetsu.” Shukaku said in his head. “I’ll do it. Send me the location telepathically.” Sasuke replied.

 

Sasuke bit his thumb, drawing blood and making handsigns “Summoning Jutsu!” he said. Ace appeared right in front of him and bent his head down so Sasuke could hop on. “We’re heading west.” Sasuke said as he jumped on and they began flying. Sasuke flew for a couple of hours and then he found the place. It was a large mountain, it had large bones outside of it. “Thanks Ace, I’ll take it from here.” Sasuke said as they landed. Sasuke’s hand rested on his blade, it’s thirst for blood matched Sasuke’s own feelings at the moment. Sasuke was planning on killing Orochimaru once he’d released the jutsu. He brought his father back, and made it personal for Sasuke. Besides, if anyone in this world deserved death, it was Orochimaru. He’s a terrible person who experimented on children and even babies. Sasuke was disgusted that he almost willingly gave himself up to someone like that. Once Sasuke walked deeper in the mountain he found Orochimaru. Orochimaru was in a part of a mountain with a lot of stalagmites and stalactites. There was a small water source near the back as well. Orochimaru was standing up and looking at Sasuke. “I sensed your chakra when you were all the way outside, we’ve been waiting for you.” Orochimaru said. “We?” Sasuke started to ask, but he got his answer.

 

Jirobo quickly rammed into Sasuke’s side, sending him towards Sakon and Ukon, who tried to hit him with a flurry of punches, but Sasuke quickly activated his Susanoo to tank the hit. “These guys?” Sasuke asked, remembering when the Sound Four tried to convince him to leave Konoha and almost did. “I’m not a weak kid anymore, you guys won’t beat me.” Sasuke said as they began circling him. “We’ll see.” Sakon said as they all dashed him. Sasuke quickly made handsigns and yelled “Chidori Stream!” as they rushed him. They ran into the lightning that he’d been coursing through his body and it paralyzed them momentarily, but it was enough. Sasuke kicked Tayuya in the chest and sent her flying across the room. Kidomaru shot a spider web at him, which Sasuke quickly dodged and Sasuke swung his blade in a downward arc and sliced into Kidomaru’s chest and his blood wet Sasuke’s blade. “Kidomaru!” Jirobo yelled as he activated his Curse Mark to the second level. He dashed at Sasuke in a straight line, and Sasuke quickly sidestepped him and jumped into the air. He started to make handsigns but Sakon aimed a kick at him. Sasuke quickly blocked it and he quickly activated his Mangekyo and the black flames erupted from his eyes and struck Sakon square in the chest. “Amaterasu!” Sasuke yelled as Sakon let out a deafening scream. He survived it though, as he retreated inside his brother’s body to heal.

 

Both Jirobo and two ogres whipped at Sasuke and he jumped back quickly and began making handsigns “Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!” Sasuke yelled as he expelled a sea of flames at Jirobo and the ogres. Sasuke looked over to Orochimaru, who was staring at him intently with a hungry look in his eyes. Jirobo made a huge wall of earth at the last minute “Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!” he yelled. Sasuke looked for Tayuya, as it had to be her who created those two ogres. She was in the back, playing a flute, which Sasuke presumed had to be the device that allowed her to control the ogres. Sasuke made handsigns and twirled his blade in his hand and stuck the blade in the ground, sending a wave of electricity at her through the ground. She failed to notice it and was zapped by the electricity and canceled her jutsu. Jirobo and Sakon dashed at Sasuke once more and Sasuke manifested his Susanoo and grabbed them with it’s arms. He then made a third arm that held an orb of Amaterasu and he engulfed the both of them in the black flames.

 

He then picked up his blade and pointed it at Orochimaru. “You’re next!” he said. Orochimaru began clapping slowly. “You’ve become quite ruthless Sasuke, also quite powerful. Just to my liking.” Orochimaru said as he licked his lips. “Undo the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu, maybe then I’ll show you mercy.” Sasuke said. “I’ll do no such thing. It’s quite interesting to see ninja fight against their revived loved ones.” Orochimaru said. “You’re a sick and twisted bastard. I’ll enjoy killing you.” Sasuke said as he dashed at Orochimaru. “Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!” he said as snakes shot out of his sleeves at Sasuke. Sasuke quickly cut them and activated his Susanoo. He manifested his ethereal bow and shot an arrow at Orochimaru, who quickly slithered around the stalactites to evade Sasuke’s arrows. Orochimaru opened his mouth and released a wind empowered flame that shot directly at Sasuke. Sasuke swiftly avoided it and Orochimaru was quickly shooting at him, his body slithering on the ground. Sasuke jumped and Orochimaru retrieved the Kusanagi Blade from his mouth and swung at Sasuke. Sasuke blocked the blade and parried Orochimaru, then following up with a kick to the chest.

 

Sasuke began making handsigns rapidly “Fire Release: Great Fire Dragon Jutsu!” Sasuke yelled, sending a powerful fireball shaped like a dragon’s head at Orochimaru. Orochimaru quickly jumped into the water source. “Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!” he said as a serpentine creature manifested from the water, it clashed with Sasuke’s Fire Dragon and canceled it out and created steam. Orochimaru took full advantage of the steam and landed a couple of cuts on Sasuke. The steam finally dissipated and when it did Orochimaru was on the ground and thousands of snakes were coming out of his mouth and they scattered on the ground. They all had blades in their mouths. Sasuke quickly jumped into the air and used the Amaterasu on all of them, burning them to crisps. Sasuke shot at Orochimaru and lobbed off the arm he held his blade with. Before his arm could even hit the ground snakes came out of Orochimaru’s shoulder and put the arm back where it belonged. “You really are a monster, so I’m not going to hold back anymore.” Sasuke said as he activated his eyes began to bleed.

 

The Amaterasu erupted from his eye and it hit Orochimaru straight-on. Before his body could be consumed by the black flames, another Orochimaru shot out of his mouth. Orochimaru was panting and Sasuke smirked. “That replacement jutsu has to take a lot of chakra, I can tell by your panting. I wasn’t going to let you burn all the way though, you still have to undo the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu for me. I doubt you can use it in quick succession though” Sasuke said as he manifested the ethereal guardian, Susanoo. He pulled out his bow and released a flurry of arrows which Orochimaru swiftly dodged, whipping at Sasuke and reaching out for his eyes. Sasuke kicked Orochimaru aside and ran the Chidori through his blade as he pierced Orochimaru’s shoulder. Orochimaru yelled in pain and Sasuke smirked. “You can’t beat me, after I get you to release your jutsu, I’ll kill you.” Sasuke said as he twisted his blade, making Orochimaru wince. Sasuke backed away when white snakes began to shoot out of Orochimaru’s body.

 

The mountain began rumbling and Orochimaru was quickly outgrowing the mountain. Sasuke used his Susanoo to slash a hole into the top of the mountain and he jumped out of it. Orochimaru continued to grow in size until there was a gigantic eight-headed snake in front of Sasuke, and where the mountain used to be. Orochimaru was laughing as he appeared out of one of the snake’s heads. “You thought you had me beat Sasuke? I’m just getting started. I’ll take that body of yours!” Orochimaru yelled. Sasuke used his full Susanoo, and manifested a blade in the hand of his Susanoo. “Nothing has changed Orochimaru, you’re just a wounded animal on it’s last legs.” Sasuke said as he jumped into the air. One of the snake heads shot at him. Sasuke swung his blade at it and the gigantic head dropped to the ground. Sasuke used the Amaterasu on the stump of the head. He’d once heard about the story of the hydra, you cut one head and two more grow in it’s place. He didn’t know how true it was, but he wouldn’t take chances. Sasuke’s Susanoo held an orb of Amaterasu in it’s hand and Sasuke used it to shoot out six blasts of Amaterasu, all of them aimed at a head of a snake. Sasuke’s Amaterasu found it’s targets, setting six of the heads ablaze. The head Orochimaru himself was in shot at Sasuke, and Orochimaru wielded the Kusanagi in an attempt to cut Sasuke down. Sasuke chopped off the neck of one of snakes, and the head dropped like a rock. Orochimaru’s head came shooting off from his body in an attempt to use his juinjutsu to restrict Sasuke’s movements. Sasuke held back the reflex to decapitate Orochimaru on the spot, instead he avoided it and focused on Orochimaru’s body itself. Sasuke lunged at Orochimaru and ran Chidori in his blade once again, and he stabbed Orochimaru’s foot. Orochimaru’s head shot back to his body and Sasuke looked him in the eyes, instantly putting him in a Genjutsu. Sasuke made Orochimaru weave handsigns “ _Rat, Ox, Monkey, Tiger, Dragon, Boar. Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu Release!”_ he said, and Sasuke didn’t know if anything had happened, as there were no resurrected ninja around him. Once Sasuke looked around though, he could see lights in the sky.

 

Shukaku spoke to him telepathically. “You did it Sasuke! The revived Shinobi are being enveloped in a white light and returning to the afterlife. I should tell you, the real Madara Uchiha was resurrected!” Shukaku said. “How? Wasn’t the person we’ve been fighting supposed to be Madara?” Sasuke asked. “Yes, but it seems it isn’t. The 5 Kage were handling him though.” Shukaku said. “Hold on! It seems that Madara Uchiha isn’t returning to the afterlife. He stopped the white light somehow and he was able to maintain his body! We don’t know how he did it!” Shukaku exclaimed. “Should I go assist them?” Sasuke asked. “No! They said they’d handle him. The rest of the Allied Forces are meeting up with Naruto to assist him. He, Kakashi, Gai and Bee are all fighting against the Masked Man. I want you to meet up with them.” Shukaku said. “Alright, I’ll meet up with them right after I dispatch Orochimaru.” Sasuke said, and the communication closed.

 

Sasuke turned back to Orochimaru, but he was gone. “Damn it!” Sasuke yelled, losing his cool for a moment. Sasuke scooped some of the blood from one of his open wounds and began making handsigns. “Summoning Jutsu!” Sasuke yelled and Ace appeared. “Let’s fly!” Sasuke said as he jumped atop the massive bird and they flew away.


	15. Sasuke Dies (For a Second Time)

 

Sasuke had flown for hours, he was meeting up with Naruto and the allied forces, but there was no sign of them for a while. “Sasuke, the time limit is up soon, I’m going to land.” Ace said. “Alright.” Sasuke replied and Ace landed. Sasuke thanked him and began running through a forest. Sasuke was running for a while and when he finally reached the battlefield he saw a monstrous creature. It had something that looked like a Rinnegan and a Sharingan as it’s eye. It had only one eye, ear and mouth, and it had ten tails. It also had a spiked bulb on it’s back. “Is that the Juubi?” Sasuke wondered. “Gooooahh!” it yelled as it began gathering chakra outside of it’s mouth. “Sasuke, you’re here!” Sakura said. “Yeah, I am. We don’t have time to chat, I gotta stop that blast!” Sasuke said as he manifested his Susanoo and shot an arrow at the Juubi’s head where he was gathering the chakra. Sasuke hit it as soon as it released the Bijuudama, misdirecting the arrow from it’s intended target. A huge explosion rang from far away. “Sasuke, it’s about time you got here.” he said. Sasuke saw Madara, and the elder Uchiha saw Sasuke as well. “It looks like they’ve got someone with good eyes over there.” Madara said.

 

“Just another bug to crush. Do it Juubi!” Obito ordered. The Juubi’s tails turned into hands and jagged wooden spikes came out from its hands. “Wood Release: Cutting Jutsu!” Obito said as the spikes rained down on them. Sasuke’s Susanoo protected him from the spikes, but others weren’t so fortunate. Dozens of Shinobi were getting impaled by the wooden spikes and when Sasuke saw one coming for Sakura, he quickly sliced it in half with his sword. Neji used his Rotation to redirect the wooden spikes away from Naruto, giving him time to make a Rasenshuriken. Naruto tossed it at the wooden spikes and it expanded, destroying a lot of them. The Juubi then used only a finger, making a precise shot at Naruto. Sasuke then used the Yasaka Magatama and created three magatama in a thread. He flung them at the wooden spikes that were going to hit Naruto and he destroyed them. “Thanks for the save!” Naruto said. “Earth Release: Sandwich Jutsu!” Kitsuchi yelled and two enormous rocks smashed the Juubi from both sides. The Juubi covered its body with it’s tails, revealing only it’s mouth. It began gathering black chakra to it’s mouth again, forming another Bijuudama. Bee transformed into the Hachibi and jumped at it and deflected it with his own Bijuudama. Be then rapid-fired Bijuudama’s down the Juubi’s throat.

 

Naruto then activated his Kyuubi cloak and regained his vigor. The Juubi began breaking free from the rock prison it was in and it’s hands shot out at the Allied Forces. Sasuke charged into battle, igniting his blade with the Amaterasu. He chopped off one of the arms that was near him and it burned with the Amaterasu. Naruto began giving the Kyuubi’s chakra to his allies, and with newfound vigor, they jumped into battle. Neji and Hinata used a Kyuubi enhanced Air Palm to deflect one of the hands that was coming at them. Choji used his Multi-Size jutsu to grow huge and he took out multiple arms in one go. The Juubi regrow a dozen arms and they all took root into the ground. Naruto used the Rasenshuriken in both of his hands and threw them at the gigantic arms. Sasuke used a Susanoo arrow and lit it up with Amaterasu and took out a couple of the gigantic arms as well. They then turned their attention to the people on top of the Juubi. Sasuke used the Amaterasu on them, but someone absorbed it. He looked to see that Madara Uchiha had a Rinnegan. _He even has a Rinnegan?_ Sasuke thought.

 

The Juubi opened its mouth wide and a huge ball sprouted. It turned into a bulb with a huge opening. Then massive chakra began to form in front of the bulb. It was a huge Bijuudama that wasn’t even done charging. “How are we supposed to beat that thing? It’s huge!” someone said. “ _You guys can change its course! Focus all your attacks under that huge blast. Knock it upwards and you should guys should be in the clear!”_ Shukaku said in everyone’s heads. “ _Bee and Naruto, use your Bijuudama. Sasuke, use your strongest ranged jutsu. Everyone else, target under it with everything you have! We can do this!”_ Shukaku said. _My strongest ranged jutsu eh? Let’s do this!_ Sasuke thought. Sasuke manifested his complete Susanoo and created the orb of black flames in his Susanoo’s third hand. He charged up a magatama projectile, putting a lot of his flames into it and shot under the blast. “Enton: Yasaka Magatama!” Sasuke yelled. At the same time, both Naruto and Bee created large Bijuudama’s of their own and melded them together making a bigger Bijuudama, but it still paled in comparison to the Juubi’s. They both released it at the same time Sasuke did. The Juubi released the Bijuudama he’d been creating. Naruto, Sasuke and Bee’s combined attack knocked it upwards just enough so it barely missed them, but it missed!

 

“Phew, that was too close!” Naruto sighed in relief. “Everyone! The Juubi probably needs to wait awhile so it can use another on of those huge blasts. Now is the time to attack!” Sasuke yelled. Everyone charged the Juubi and it began making splitting itself and hundreds of Juubi clones all ran at them. “Don’t falter!” Naruto yelled as they charged. Sakura jumped in front of both Naruto and Sasuke and punched one of the Juubi clones sending it backwards. “Shanarooo!” she yelled as she kept up the attack. Naruto and Sasuke both exchanged looks as they charged. Naruto began making a Rasenshuriken and threw it, decimating the enemies. Sasuke manipulated his black flames in the shape of a blade and swiped at the Juubi clones, igniting them with the black flames. Everyone else jumped into battle as well, holding their own against the Juubi clones. Kiba transformed into a three-headed wolf and carved through the Juubi clones. Shino’s clones grew inside the clone he was fighting, eating it from the inside. Hinata and Neji both were unleashing an onslaught of Gentle Fist attacks. Team 10 used their Human Bullet Yoyo, using Choji as an actual Human Yoyo and battering the enemies.

“Heh, we can’t let these guys outdo us can we, Sakura, Naruto?” Sasuke asked. “Hell no!” they both replied as they made handsigns and bit their thumbs. “Summoning Jutsu!” they yelled. “A gigantic slug, toad and bird all appeared. Sasuke quickly hopped on Ace and took flight. “Let’s go ahead of them and decimate their frontline!” Sasuke said. “Katsuyu, split up and heal everyone!” Sakura said and Katsuyu obeyed, splitting her form. “Jump, Gamakichi!” Naruto ordered and he did. Sasuke flew past everyone and the storm followed them.

 

Sasuke directed the lightning onto the numerous Juubi clones. “Kirin!” Sasuke yelled, annihilating dozens of the clones. Sasuke rained down the Amaterasu onto the Juubi clones as well, setting them all ablaze. Naruto then leaped next to Sasuke and created a huge Rasenshuriken and whipped it at the main body of the Juubi. Sasuke used the Susanoo and shot an Amaterasu arrow at the Rasenshuriken. “Kagutsuchi Rasenshuriken!” Sasuke yelled as the black flames melded with the wind and it hit the Juubi. “Alright, stop it from burning so we can pull the Tailed Beasts out of that big thing.” Naruto said. “Alright” Sasuke said as he willed the flames to die down. Naruto leaped at the Juubi and tried to start pulling out the Tailed Beasts, but Madara began making handsigns. “Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation” he yelled and exhaled a sea of flames at Naruto. “You don’t really think I’m going to allow you to do as you please?” Madara said. Naruto almost collided with the flames but the Water users of the Shinobi Alliance protected him by all making a huge water barrier. “Water Release: Water Formation Wall!” they all yelled. “Thanks you guys!” Naruto exclaimed. Out of nowhere Obito appeared next to Madara atop of the Juubi. He had a hole in his chest and was bleeding heavily. “Gaaah!” he yelled as black chakra receiver rods pierced his arm. His arm had begun to turn black and he was struggling heavily.

 

“What’s happening?” Naruto said. “I have no idea.” Sasuke replied. Madara made a handsign and the black had begun to spread across his body, covering half of his face. Obito then made a handsign and the yelling continued. “I don’t know what he’s doing, but we have to stop it!” Sasuke said as he released an Amaterasu arrow at Obito. It had clipped him in the back and very close to his heart, Sasuke might’ve missed by a centimeter. “This is over…” Sasuke said. “Is that what you think?” Obito said in a chilling tone and the Juubi began to shrink, he was absorbing it inside of him. Once he fully absorbed it, Obito emerged. He had ten horns on his back, five on his upper back, five on his lower back. He had nine magatama symbols on his back, along with a symbol that resembled the Rinnegan. His hair had turned white and he had a distant look in his eye. “Don’t tell me…” Naruto began. “He’s become the Jinchuuriki of the Juubi.” Sasuke continued.

 

Naruto made a handsign “Shadow Clone Jutsu!” he said, making a dozen of clones to feel Obito out. They all jumped at Obito and he used a wave of black matter that pierced through the clones and made them disappear. Sasuke shot a Susanoo arrow at Obito and he erased it with the black matter. “So he can erase our attacks… how are we supposed to fight him?” Sasuke wondered. Obito then dashed at both Naruto and Sasuke with two black orbs in his hands, but as he did he got bloated, he’d become huge quickly and dropped to the ground. “Naruto! We need to attack him while he’s like this, he isn’t accustomed to the power of the Juubi yet it seems.” Sasuke ordered. “Right!” he said as he began manipulating his chakra. Gamakichi shot a huge blast of water at Obito “Starch Syrup Gun!” he yelled as he did. Obito regained his senses quick enough to put up a black wall, but it didn’t erase Gamakichi’s attack, they both clashed but it didn’t erase the attack. “What was that all about Gamakichi?” Naruto asked. “The summoning time limit is coming up soon, I wanted to get an attack in.” Gamakichi explained as he disappeared. “Naruto, did you notice that? The black substance didn’t erase your toad’s attack.” Sasuke said. “It might be because he’s using Senjutsu in his attacks.” Naruto said as his eyes gained an orange pigmentation around them. “I’ll test it with a Senjutsu attack of my own.” Naruto said.

 

He began making a Rasenshuriken in his hand and he threw it “Sage Art: Rasenshuriken!” he yelled. Obito transformed again and became much more bloated. Naruto’s attack hit straight on and took out about half of his body, but Obito was still alive and kicking. He kept gaining mass and he yelled out in pain. “ _Allied Forces! Attack him before he can gain full control of himself! Give him everything you got!_ ” Shukaku said in their head. Everyone started preparing their best jutsu and Sasuke shot off one of his Amaterasu arrows. Naruto threw a Rasenshuriken and all their attacks began flying through the air at Obito. When the dust cleared, Obito was standing before them. He’d transformed once again, gaining a horn on his head and a cloak. He also held a black staff.

 

“Our attacks weren’t successful? What is it going to take to win?!” someone said. “Don’t let up!” someone yelled. When they looked back it was the four previous Hokage. They were revived by someone, but who? Orochimaru wouldn’t… “We were resurrected by Orochimaru, he said something about not letting Sasuke die because he wanted to collect his young Uchiha body. He went to go heal the current Five Kage.” Minato said. “Dad!” Naruto said. Obito dashed both Sasuke and Naruto while they were distracted. He clutched both of their faces with his hands and created an opening in his palm. The black orbs were about to destroy their faces until Minato teleported to Obito and slashed his back, giving them a chance to escape. “Phew, I thought I was dead meat there!” Naruto sighed. “Hashirama! I’m glad you’re here, these modern day Shinobi aren’t even a challenge. You’re the only one who could ever give me a decent fight!” Madara said. “To think you’d be alive wrecking havoc on the world Madara. We’re dead! We have no right to tamper with the world of the living.” Hashirama said. “I can’t believe the previous Kage are here. We can win this!” someone yelled.

 

Obito let loose a barrage of Truth-Seeking Orbs at Naruto and Sasuke and Minato quickly jumped in front of them and placed his marked kunai in front of him. The Truth-Seeking Orbs were sucked into the kunai and teleported somewhere else. “Obito… how far have you fallen?” Minato asked. “It’s all because you weren’t there. You were always too late, that’s why things turned out this way.” Obito said darkly. Tobirama and Hiruzen quickly joined the battlefield, coming to where Sasuke and Naruto were. “Can you guys give us any information, does he have any weaknesses?” Tobirama asked. “It seems like he isn’t really affected by normal ninjutsu. He can block it with those black orbs and manipulate them into shields and turn them into weapons. They’re very versatile. The only thing that has been effective against him is Senjutsu, physical attacks also work like you’ve just seen.” Sasuke said calmly. “Even if you know that, you still won’t win. These mere Kage won’t help you out any. A mere Hokage is simply fodder compared to what I’ve become. I’m the second Sage of Six Paths.” Obito said. Naruto began making a Rasengan, infusing senjutsu into it. “Someone who couldn’t become the Hokage has no right making fun of someone who has become the Hokage. Minato placed his hand on his back, teleporting him to the marker that Minato has on Obito’s body. Naruto slammed a Rasengan in his back. The Rasengan did damage, breaking the skin and making Obito bleed. _It worked, we finally have something we can work with. I need to combine my attacks with Naruto’s to do more damage since I can’t use Senjutsu._

 

“I’m so glad I’ve learned Senjutsu!” Naruto exclaimed. “Something like that isn’t enough to do me in. It’s time to begin preparations for the Infinite Tsukyomi. Let me tidy things up around here…” Obito said as the horns on his back ignited and he touched the ground with his hands. A huge branch plant sprouted with four bulbs that opened up. They then began charging four Bijuudama’s. “This can’t be good, four at once…” someone said. “We can only teleport one per user with Hiraishin, so even with the Fourth and me there would still be two left over.” Tobirama said. “It’s too early to give up, we only have to alter the trajectory of the blasts. Hokages, we have to redirect the blasts towards the ocean!” Hashirama said. “We have to create a huge earth wall!” Hashirama ordered, breaking away from his fight with Madara. The other horns on Obito’s back ignited and he shot off five fiery chakra receiver rods. He then created a barrier around the Shinobi Alliance, trapping them all inside. “Damn, he’s trapped us all in!” Shikamaru said.

 

Obito began using his Truth-Seeking Orbs to shield himself in a black cocoon. “We can no longer redirect the Bijuudama, we have no other option but to teleport them away. Can you handle two Fourth?” Tobirama asked. “No, I can only handle one, but there’s another way.” Minato said. “You aren’t foolish enough to think you can teleport the entire tree, or foolish enough to think I’ll allow you too. You won’t save anyone.” Obito said. Naruto walked up to his father “I don’t know if this will work but, bump fists with me.” Naruto said. Minato obeyed and both of them activated their Kyuubi Chakra Modes at the same time. “What are you guys doing?” Sasuke asked, he didn’t understand their plan, but it looked like they had one. Sasuke could always summon Ace and reverse summon himself, Naruto and Sakura out of there, but he believed in Naruto, so he didn’t.  


“Just let me concentrate…” Minato said. A moment later everyone gained a small Kyuubi cloak like Naruto had done before but this time it was thicker. Obito released his Bijuudama’s and before they could strike, Minato teleported everyone out of the barrier, saving everyone. “Naruto… he saved us. How?!”Ino asked. “We were just standing inside of the barrier, but now we’re outside.” Shikamaru said. “What did you do?” Sasuke asked. “My dad got everyone in the Alliance out of the barrier. I had shared my chakra with everyone, so he used that to get everyone out of there. I don’t know all the details.” Naruto said. “I’m getting pumped up! My power is flowing, lets go!” Naruto said as he transformed into the Kyuubi. He didn’t actually transform into it, he manifested a huge chakra that resembled the Kyuubi. “Naruto… you didn’t forget that only Senjutsu works on Obito right…?” Tobirama asked. “I totally forgot!” Naruto exclaimed. “That settles it, I’ve found a bigger idiot than my brother.” Tobirama said. Sasuke smirked. “He really is an idiot…” Sasuke said.

 

Both Minato and Naruto both began using the Kyuubi’s chakra fully, transforming into the Kyuubi, and Naruto used Sage Mode on top of the Bijuu Mode. Both Naruto and Minato simultaneously created a huge Rasengan with Senjutsu chakra added on top of it. They smashed Obito with their giant Rasengan, but somehow he managed to guard against it with his Truth-Seeking Orbs, turning them into a huge shield that repelled the both of them. “That black stuff is super tough, he was able to guard against that?” Naruto said. Sasuke hated having to take the back burner in this fight, but his jutsu weren’t as effective as Naruto’s large Senjutsu attacks. “I’ll try this!” Naruto said as he began forming a Bijuudamaa. “I’ll add Senjutsu to the Bijuudama!” Naruto said. “Splendid!” Tobirama said.

 

Obito made a handsign and the Juubi erupted from him and shook the ground as it landed. Obito dropped his barrier and a huge tree began to take root. The roots were seeking out chakra and sucking the chakra out of whoever it touched. Sasuke defended himself from the roots that were seeking him by cutting them down with his blade. Naruto almost was caught by the roots, as they were seeking him because he had much more chakra than the others. Hiruzen quickly dashed to Naruto and saved him from the roots with his staff, destroying the roots around Naruto quickly. When Sasuke finally fended off the roots he looked and a huge tree was formed. It had a bud at the top that was yet to open fully. “Stop resisting, your suffering will come to an end. It’s almost over.” Obito said. People were getting drained of their chakra left and right, and Sasuke defended Sakura from some roots that almost had her, slicing them down with his blade. “You alright Sakura?” Sasuke asked. “Yeah, I am now.” she said. Sasuke looked around, the people that the tree got had sunken eyes, and they appeared to have become sickly and weak. All the vitality was sucked right out of them. Shikamaru was wounded and was looking like the corpses of the people who were sucked dry by the tree. “I won’t let you die Shikamaru. We need you!” Sakura said as she began healing him. “You can’t die yet Shikamaru, not until the rest of us does as well. If we’re going to die, we’ll all die together, you’re stuck with us.” Ino said. “Pull through Shikamaru!” Sasuke said.

 

“This is the end of the line for you all. There’s no point of dragging this on any further. If you don’t resist won’t kill you, but if you do I’ll show you no mercy. Let the grief and regret end here, and just resign yourselves to your fate…” Obito said. “If we don’t do anything further, then we’ll be saved?” someone asked. “Precisely, you’ll no longer have any need to fear and resist death… just go off to the dream world, everything will be perfect there. You’ll have everything you’ve ever wanted, all your loved ones will be alive, you’ll accomplish all your goals, just go to sleep.” Obito said, lulling the Shinobi Alliance. “Never!” Sasuke yelled, slicing one of the roots. Sasuke glared at Naruto who looked as he’d weakened. Naruto’s eyes were watering and he was on all fours. “Naruto! Don’t tell me you’re listening to him. _You_ of all people! Where’s my teammate? Because I don’t know this Naruto? The Naruto I knew never gives up, he doesn’t let anyone make his decisions for him. The Naruto I know would be fighting tooth and nail to save the world.” Sasuke exclaimed. “Is there any Yamanaka around? Someone connect us all!” Hashirama said. Ino began making handsigns and then they heard the voice in there head.“ _According to Madara, this tree will blossom in fifteen minutes, that’s more than enough time to chop it down. Show them the strength of the Allied Shinobi Forces. If this is the end, fight it with all you have!”_ The First Hokage spoke telepathically in their heads. The current Kage arrived on the battlefield finally, along with Orochimaru. Sasuke looked at Orochimaru, and the Sanin seemed bemused. Tsunade immediately began healing the wounded, starting with Shikamaru, the other Kage began rallying the Allied Forces. Tsunade and Sakura combined their efforts and summoned ten percent of Katsuyu and dispersed her to heal everyone on the battlefield. Naruto stood up and used his Kyuubi form. “You’re right, let’s do this Sasuke!” Naruto said as he stood next to Sasuke. Naruto’s memories began replaying in the head of the Allied Shinobi. They saw flashes of his childhood, his life, and his overwhelming resolve.

 

“I can’t use Senjutsu, but I can support you.” Sasuke said as he shaped his Susanoo into armor for Naruto’s Kyuubi form. The Kyuubi form began being covered by Sasuke’s Susanoo. He covered all the tails and the Susanoo’s sword was in the hand of the Kyuubi. Sasuke stood in a gem on the Kyuubi’s forehead along with Naruto, and the Kyuubi gained a tengu like nose. “This is what Madara used to do, when he had the Kyuubi under his control when he fought Hashirama, the First Hokage. So I find it ironic that we’re doing this as allies. Majestic Attire: Susanoo!” Sasuke said. “Whoa Sasuke, you can do things like this?” Naruto asked. Obito manifested a huge shield and a blade that resembled a double helix, like a strand of DNA. “You both are merely postponing the inevitable. This is the divine blade of the Sage of Six Paths, the Nunoboku. With this blade the Sage created this world, and I’ll destroy it.” Obito said. “Sasuke, we’re only gonna get one shot, as soon as we see an opening we gotta get it.” Naruto said. “Tell me something I don’t know.” Sasuke said. Naruto made a handsign and started to form a Rasengan on the ends of each of his tails. All of their classmates quickly jumped up to his tailes and took their place, each of them holding a Rasengan and gaining more of the Kyuubi’s chakra. “ _I’m leaving these Rasengan in your hands, use them to destroy his shield.”_ Naruto said in their heads.

 

Obito jumped at them and Naruto and Sasuke jumped as well. Obito thrust his shield at them and their classmates slammed their Rasengan at it, destroying it. Naruto and Sasuke then used the Susanoo’s blade to cut through Obito’s blade and Obito, slicing him and yanking out some of the chakra of the other nine Bijuu. Naruto then used the Bijuu chakra inside of him to yank out the chakra of the Bijuu in a tug of war, but the Ichibi and Hachibi resisted, as Naruto didn’t have any of their chakra inside of him. Gaara quickly came, riding on a cloud of sand and yanked the Ichibi’s chakra out. Bee helped rip out the chakra of the Hachibi as well. “I’m the host of the Juubi, don’t you dare underestimate me!” Obito yelled as he started pulling back, trying to regain his chakra. Sasuke used his Susanoo to pull at one of the tails, helping Naruto out. “Pull Naruto!” Sasuke ordered.

 

Their other comrades came to help tug too, and then everyone was there helping them pull out the Tailed Beast’s chakra. “Ready, Set, Pull!” Naruto yelled and everyone heaved and pulled out his chakra and all the tailed beasts came out, circling them. Obito fell to the ground, he was no longer the Juubi’s jinchuuriki, so he lost the ability to float. Sasuke dashed to him, ready to deliver the final blow, but Kakashi teleported right next to Obito and held a Kunai to his throat, but he was stopped from delivering the final blow as well by Minato, who’d teleported and grabbed Kakashi’s hand. “Obito… when the chakra was being pulled out, I saw inside your heart. It seems that Naruto gave you a nagging, he gets that from his mother.” Minato said. “We have to kill him, Madara wants to use him to resurrect himself. We cannot allow Madara to be resurrected.” Sasuke exclaimed. “Go seal Madara to prevent that. Along with you and the rest of the Allied Shinobi he shouldn’t be big of a problem. Besides, with his Bijuu extracted it’s only a matter of time before Obito dies.” Minato said. Naruto quickly went over to go help them seal Madara.

 

Obito made a handsign “What are you doing?” Minato asked. “That man, I had hoped to use, betrayed me by using this jutsu. Not even in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would do the same as he…” Obito said. Sasuke began to realize what he intended to do. “You can’t mean…” Kakashi said. “Using that jutsu, you’ll…” Kakashi trailed off. “I think I finally understand why Nagato betrayed me…” Obito said, then something burst from the ground and grabbed Obito. “I won’t let you!” Black Zetsu said. Black Zetsu began taking over Obito’s body and forcing him to use the jutsu. “Outer Path – Samsara of Heavenly Life Jutsu!” Obito said and just as they were about to seal Madara, he burst free. “Damn, he revived Madara! Exactly what I knew he would do. We should’ve finished him when we had the chance!” Sasuke said. He quickly summoned Ace and flew over to where Madara was. Soon as he saw him he activated his Mangekyo and used the Amaterasu on him. “You’re already dead Madara, I’ll make sure you go back to the afterlife!” Sasuke said. Madara quickly threw off his armor, letting the fire consume it. Sasuke saw that Madara had already incapacitated Hashirama with the chakra receiver rods, Madara also no longer had eyes. “Attacks of that caliber are nothing to me, not even worth acknowledging.” Madara said.

 

Madara dashed to Naruto and kicked him, and an Allied Shinobi out of the way, he then lunged at Hashirama and began choking him and absorbing his chakra. “I’d be lying if I said things have been going according to plan, but beggars can’t be choosers right?” Madara said he gained Sage Mode chakra, signified by the face on his chest getting the markings of a sage. “This level of power is disappointing, I was worried I’d have a hard time handling it.” Madara said.

 

Sasuke jumped off of Ace and he dashed at Madara and began attacking him with his sword. Madara skillfully avoided all of Sasuke’s blows even blind. “This is the best chance we’ll get to take him out.” Sasuke said as he finally got in a blow, piercing through Madara’s arm. “Hm, your eyes aren’t bad, you have fluid movements, you probably have a Choku Tomoe Mangekyo Sharingan. I might take them until I get my Rinnegan back. But it’d be a waste to kill you. You should team up with me, you and I are the last of the Uchiha, and you remind me of my brother, Izuna.” Madara said. “I’m a Konoha Shinobi, I won’t betray them. Also, you aren’t the last of the Uchiha, you’re a ghost of the Uchiha, die along with your era.” Sasuke said. “Too bad, you’re on borrowed time anyways…” Madara said. Naruto lunged at Madara and he said “Fire Release” Hiding in Ash and Dust Jutsu” as he exhaled a blanket of burning ash that burned both Sasuke and Naruto. Madara used that ash as a smokescreen and went on to target the Bijuu.

 

Naruto recovered first and went after Madara. Sasuke went to go after him as well, but the First Hokage called out to him. “Young Uchiha, I can no longer move or fight, and Madara took away my Senjutsu Chakra. I will give you all of my remaining chakra, I no longer need it anymore. Place your hand on my head so I can transport my chakra to you.” Hashirama said. “Thank you.” Sasuke said as he placed his hand on his head. Hashirama gave him his remaining chakra and Sasuke began to feel much more stronger and revitalized, it seemed like Hashirama’s chakra had that affect on him. Naruto hopped back on Ace and went flying, and the storm followed closely by. Once Sasuke had gotten there, Madara had finished incapacitating Tobirama. Sasuke made a Chidori in his hand and directed two bolts of lightning onto Madara’s skull, but he blocked it with his perfect Susanoo. He then turned to Sasuke and held out his arm. “Come here, Banso Ten’in!” he said and Sasuke was pulled towards him and Madara choked him. “You would’ve killed me there if I didn’t have Susanoo.” Madara said as he took Sasuke’s blade out of it’s sheath. “No!” Sasuke yelled as he used the Amaterasu, but Madara absorbed it. “Don’t do this Madara!” Tobirama yelled. “You have to sacrifice one to protect another. Be it a close friend, brother… or even my own child!” Madara said as he pierced Sasuke with his own blade, running him through.

 

Sasuke bled though his mouth and coughed up blood “Gyuuah!” he said. “ _NO! Not again! I refuse to die! No!”_ Sasuke thought. Madara let Sasuke slip off the blade and fall on the ground. “Defeat by my hands, this is the end for you… what a shame.” Madara said. Sasuke got to his hands and knees. “I won’t die here… I won’t let you end the Uchiha Clan here! I have to live… redeem my clan.” Sasuke said but he felt weak, and fell to the ground again, all of his strength gone. Sasuke’s world went dark. When Sasuke awoke, he was confused. “Where am I, did I die?” he wondered. “No you’re not dead, you’re in the place between reality, and the afterlife.” someone said. When Sasuke looked at who said it, he saw a man with gray hair, two horns and a long gray beard. He was levitating in a sitting position and some Truth-Seeking Orbs were under him. He wore a robe with six tomoes on it. He also had a staff like the one that Obito had. He also had a pair of Rinnegan eyes. Sasuke knew he wasn’t an ordinary person. “Who are you?” Sasuke asked. “I am Hagaromo, I’m also known as the Sage of Six Paths.” he said.

 

“The Sage of Six Paths? I’ve seen a lot of people claiming to be the Sage of Six Paths lately.” Sasuke said. “Anyways, what do you want with me?” Sasuke asked. “You are my son, Indra’s reincarnation.” Hagaromo said. “Reincarnation? Explain everything to me.” Sasuke said. “My mother, Kaguya came to your land from a far away place. She ate the fruit from the very tree you’ve seen in the war. With her newfound power she was able to rule over the land. She’s the mother of chakra, more powerful than anyone. The people worshiped my mother as the rabbit goddess, they feared her also. Later on, Kaguya gave birth to two children, one of which was me. I, along with my brother also had to fight the Juubi, the incarnation of the sacred tree. The tree wanted to reclaim the chakra that had been stolen from it. We defeated the Juubi and sealed it up, and over time I too had children. I had an older son named Indra, and the younger named Ashura, I taught them both Ninshu, my philosophy. However there was a huge difference between the boys…” Hagaromo said.

 

“A difference?” Sasuke asked. “One of them inherited my strong genes, he was hailed as a prodigy and he could accomplish whatever he set his mind too. His name was Indra. The other brother didn’t inherit any of my superior genes or power, he was useless, he couldn’t accomplish anything on his own and he relied on the power of his friends.” Hagaromo said. Sasuke began to realize where he was going with this. “Both of my sons walked different paths. Indra, since birth was powerful. He had powerful eyes and a strong sense for battle, he was a natural prodigy, a genius. He did everything with his own power and understood that his power was special and different from those around him. He came to belief with power, everything is possible. On the opposite side was Ashura. Since birth he was bad at everything he did, he couldn’t do anything by himself. To achieve the same strength as his brother her needed huge amounts of effort along with the cooperation with others around him. Through the harsh training, he bloomed his own power at the same level of his brother’s. He understood what it meant to care for others, and realized through love, anything was possible.” Hagaromo said.

 

Sasuke had begun to see the parallels between he and Naruto’s life and the life of the brothers, Ashura and Indra. “I preferred the younger brother’s approach and I divided up the power of the Juubi that was inside me and gave names to the parts. They became the tailed beasts. I names Ashura my successor, the leader of Ninshuu, so that he could guide everyone. I intended that his brother, Ashura would cooperate… but Indra didn’t accept that and a long war began. Their bodies were destroyed, but their chakra never was, it was reborn through the ages, time and time again. Now, Indra has been reborn in you, Sasuke. I’m sure you could guess who Ashura was reborn in.” Hagaromo said.

 

“Naruto of course.” Sasuke said. “Did you guess the ones before you as well?” Hagaromo asked. “Madara and the First Hokage.” Sasuke said. “Yes, and you know what happened between those two. But before Madara could pass on to the next successor, a problem arose. Madara lusted for my power and had taken Hashirama’s power, biting off a piece of his flesh and implanting it inside of his body. Then he found my power, and he awakened the Rinnegan. Now Indra’s old successor, Madara, has achieved the power of the Juubi, a power close to my own, and he’s attempting to gain the power of my mother, Kaguya. The Infinite Tsukyomi isn’t just a genjutsu, it puts one in an illusory dream, and while each person lives on in that dream the user will have access to that power. The people connected to the god tree over time, become living slaves, the White Zetsu.” Hagaromo said.

 

“I think you want to stop Madara correct? This brings up a unique situation, both Indra and Asura’s reincarnates are on the same page, and there is peace between them, this is why I’ve presented myself to you. After this war… what do you want to do Sasuke? After this battle is over, what do you seek? I want to hear what you think, be sincere.” Hagaromo said. “After this war, I want to rebuild my clan from the bottom up. I want to break this chain of hatred that has existed in the Uchiha Clan as long as it has existed. I want to restore the Uchiha Clan’s place in history and change our legacy.” Sasuke said. “Is that your answer?” Hagaromo asked. “Yeah.” Sasuke replied. “Before, I entrusted everything onto one person, that’s how everything began. This time I want to distribute the power. Both you and Naruto will receive it. What happens now is up to the both of you. Now raise your dominant hand towards me and receive my power.” Hagaromo said, and Sasuke obeyed.

 

Once Sasuke awoke, both Tsunade and Orochimaru was standing above him. “He’s finally awoken.” Tsunade said. Sasuke stood up. “You saved me…” Sasuke said. “I didn’t want to see your flame die just yet Sasuke, besides if you died here it wouldn’t help me at all.” Orochimaru said. “We cultivated some of my grandfather’s cells and we were able to speed up your regeneration and save you from dying. The process was on the fly, and we had to get some of White Zetsu’s flesh to heal you, but we did it.” Tsunade said. Sasuke looked at his hand and it had a crescent moon symbol. “Sasuke, your eyes…” Tsunade said. “I see… that’s how I got this power. When both Indra and Ashura’s power combine, you get the power of the Sage of Six Paths… the Rinnegan!” Sasuke said, realizing what the power flowing through him was. Sasuke then walked up to the Second Hokage. He took out the chakra receivers one by one. “Can you teleport me to Naruto?” Sasuke asked.

 

Tobirama stood up and looked at Sasuke. “So that’s it…” he said. “I linked myself with Yondaime’s marker. I’ll only be able to teleport one person.” Tobirama said. “That’s fine, I’ll be fine on my own.” Sasuke said. Tobirama teleported him to Naruto’s side. Naruto wielded two black rods and the Truth-Seeking Rods. Sasuke also noticed the god tree wasn’t there anymore. “Madara… it’s all over for you.” Sasuke said. “Hm, one has the senjutsu of the Six Paths blossomed within him.” he glanced at Naruto. “The other has awakened the Rinnegan in one eye.” Madara said. “But I have both of those powers within me, you have no hope of victory!” Madara said.


	16. Team 7 Saves the World

Naruto: A Different Path

 

“ _Hm, one has the senjutsu of the Six Paths blossomed within him.” he glanced at Naruto. “The other has awakened the Rinnegan in one eye.” Madara said. “But I have both of those powers within me, you have no hope of victory!” Madara said._

 

Madara made a handsign “Sage Art: Yin Release Lightning Dispatch!” Madara said as he created two branching blasts of electricity. Naruto threw his black rod and it canceled out the attack. Naruto jumped at Madara and swung his black rod at Madara, but a shadowy Madara blocked his attack. “Can’t you see Madara’s shadow?” Sasuke asked. “No, but I did sense something intercepted my attack.” Naruto said. “Sage Art: Storm Release Light Fang!” Madara said as he expelled a large beam of light at Naruto. Naruto quickly slammed his black chakra rod into Madara’s face, getting around his shadow quickly. Madara dashed at Sasuke, who ran him through with his blade, but Madara quickly replaced himself with one of his shadows. “So you can even replace yourself with the Shadow?” Sasuke said. “So you _can_ see my Limbo.” Madara said. “Naruto! Prepare something with Sage Chakra and that can restrict his movements. He and his shadow are overlapping each other right now, it’s the time to strike.” Sasuke said. “Don’t give me orders Sasuke… but I guess I’ll listen, seeing that you can actually see him.” Naruto said as he created a Rasengan with sealing marks inside “Sage Art: Magnet Release Rasengan!” Naruto said. Sasuke began making a Chidori, but he used the Six Path’s chakra so it turned black. “Chidori!” Sasuke said.

 

Both Sasuke and Naruto dashed at Madara, slamming him with both of their respective jutsu and Naruto’s seals began to spread across his body, but Madara quickly substituted himself with one of his Shadows and began flying after Kakashi. Sasuke flung into action chasing after Madara. Madara quickly snatched Kakashi’s Sharingan out of his eye and before he could teleport away, Sasuke chopped him in half with his blade, but he still teleported the upper half of his body away. Sakura was teleported right in front of them. “Sakura? Where did you come from?” he asked. “She was in the other dimension, what happened?” Kakashi asked. “Kakashi Sensei… you’re left eye!” she said. “Madara stole it away, it happened in an instant.” Kakashi said. “What happened with Obito?” Sasuke asked. “He asked me to destroy his Rinnegan so Madara couldn’t steal it away. Once I tried to destroy his Rinnegan like he asked, Black Zetsu quickly took back control of his body and stopped me. I couldn’t destroy it before Madara got there.” Sakura said.

 

Naruto dashed over to where Sasuke and the others were. “What did you do with his Shadow?” Sasuke asked. “I incapacitated it. He won’t be going anywhere.” Naruto said. “Kakashi Sensei, your eye!” he said. “Let me try something.” Naruto said as he walked up to Kakashi’s eye. He placed his hand over Kakashi’s empty eye socket. “Try opening your eye now.” Naruto said as he removed his hand. Kakashi squinted then opened his eye and his actual eye was back, not his Sharingan. “How did you do that?!” Sakura asked. “It’s hard to explain it, I took a bit of Kakashi Sensei and… well I did it. I don’t wanna explain it.” Naruto said. “He could even do things like that now?” Sasuke thought. Madara and Obito teleported in front of them. Madara was fully restored and he had both Rinnegan.

 

“Obito!” Naruto yelled. “I took Obito’s body, he’s no longer himself.” Madara said. Sakura activated her Byakugou and dashed “I’ll create a diversion!” she said. One of Madara’s shadow’s blocked her, she couldn’t reach him. The shadow then kicked Sakura and Sasuke caught her quickly. “He has four shadows around him.” Sasuke said. “Its time to end this.” Madara said as he made a handsign. “Chibaku Tensei!” he said. Dozens of black orbs shot into the sky and it drew the earth to them, creating giant masses of earth in the sky. Sasuke used his Susanoo, creating a Perfect Susanoo that rivaled Madara’s. “Naruto! Handle Madara’s shadows. They are a problem here too!” Sasuke said as he flew up and sliced multiple meteorites, breaking them apart. Naruto made a shadow clones to deal with Madara’s shadow, then he created a huge Bijuudama in his hand and wind chakra began to swirl around it. “Bijuudama Rasenshuriken!” Naruto yelled, throwing it at the meteorites, destroying a couple of them. Madara soared into the sky and ripped off the headband shaped horn, revealing a Rinnesharingan.

 

We’ve got to stop him!” Sasuke yelled. “Naruto, use your Sage Jutsu, my jutsu won’t work.” Sasuke yelled. Naruto began prepping a Rasenshuriken but it was too late, the pattern of Madara’s Rinnesharingan reflected off the moon. “This is bad!” Sasuke thought. The meteorites in the sky began falling and Naruto created six Bijuudama Rasenshurikens, and he destroyed all of the falling meteorites in a huge explosion. Sasuke quickly dashed too his teammates and covered them with the Susanoo’s wings as Madara made a handsign. “World become one!” he said and a light illuminated the world. Madara then made another handsign “God: Nativity of a World of Trees” Madara said and roots shot out of the ground, ensnaring every living person that wasn’t within Sasuke’s Susanoo. Once ensnared, it connected the people to the tree like a cocoon. Naruto began to run out of Sasuke’s Susanoo, but Sasuke stopped him. “Don’t! If you leave my Susanoo you’ll be affected by his jutsu too! If he kills either one of us it’s all over!” Sasuke said. “I can’t believe he’s actually done it.” Sasuke thought, looking at all of the Allied Forces trapped, and Madara’s light surrounding the world.

 

“What’s going on outside?” Sakura asked. “He’s trapped the entire world in his genjutsu.” Sasuke said. “When can we go out?” Naruto asked. “Once that light diminishes. We can’t go out as long as it shines. We’ll just have to wait.” Sasuke said. They waited until it turned dark, and once the light disappeared Sasuke unfolded the Susanoo’s wings and stood up. “Sasuke, how can we wake everyone up?” Naruto asked. “It probably involves my Rinnegan, since he used his own Rinnegan to do this.” Sasuke said. “I won’t allow you to do that.” Black Zetsu said. “You’re the only ones left to get rid of.” he threatened. “No, let me do it. I’m the savior of this world now.” Madara said as he landed in front of them. “Madara…” Sasuke said. “Look at the eye on his forehead.” Kakashi said. It was the same eye reflected on the moon before the Infinite Tsukyomi. “Naruto, you know right…” Sasuke said, looking at the shadows surrounding Madara. “Yeah, I can sense them.” Naruto said.

 

“Stop resisting, I just stopped the fate of this world. I free people from pain, suffering, hunger, emptiness. Everyone is living in their own person dream world, why would you want to tamper with that?” Madara asked. “Because it’s all a lie!” Naruto exclaimed. “Naruto, you’re getting in the way of everyone’s happiness. This game ends here. I turned hell into heaven, you should understand that it’s already over.” Madara said. “No Madara, you’re not the savior, and it isn’t over!” Black Zetsu said as he thrust his hand through Madara’s chest. Sasuke’s eyes widened. _He’s betraying Madara this late in the game?_

 

Black Zetsu chuckled. “You’ve always thought you invincible. You betrayed everyone but didn’t think someone would betray you, you thought that you were any different?” he said. “Black Zetsu, what are you saying. I created you! You’re _my_ will!” Madara exclaimed. “That’s not true, I’m Kaguya’s will!” Black Zetsu said. “Kaguya?” Sakura asked. “She’s the mother of the Sage of Six Paths, and she was much more powerful than he was. “Gwooaaah!” Madara yelled as a black substance spread throughout his body with the appearance of veins. “Madara’s chakra just shot through the roof! What’s going on?” Naruto exclaimed. “All of his shadows just vanished, be on your guard everyone, something is about to happen!” Sasuke said. Dense chakra began shooting out of the ground and gathering to Madara, who was starting to bloat. “This is bad Sasuke. It’s even more chakra than the Juubi!” Naruto said. “We need to stop him now!” Sasuke said, charging a black Chidori in his hand and Naruto charged a Rasengan. They both dashed at the bloated Madara, but they were grabbed by a hair like substance. “I’ll suck up your chakra too!” a voice said. “I can’t move! We can’t let them beat us, everyone will die.” Naruto said. “I can’t move either, but if they remain in that cocoon they won’t die, they’ll become like the White Zetsu.” Sasuke said, struggling to get out. Madara then became even more huge, swelling greatly, unable to handle all of the chakra he was absorbing at once.

 

Madara then shrunk, and Obito dropped out of him, he no longer had the Black Zetsu attached to his body. “Obito!” Naruto said. Something then began to take form. A moment later they were looking at the Rabbit Goddess, Kaguya. Her chakra was on a whole other level, it was even stronger than the Juubi’s. She had a Rinnesharingan in the center of her forehead like Madara, but her regular eyes were a pale lavender, the Byakugan. She was very pale, her eyebrows were short and round and she had two brown horns. “She’s… that’s who the Sage of the Six Paths was talking about.” Naruto said. “Yeah, that’s Kaguya. We’re in trouble here…” Sasuke said. Kaguya threw both Naruto and Sasuke to the ground, as they both were caught in her hair. “Sasuke! Naruto!” Sakura yelled. Sasuke hit the ground hard, but he used the Susanoo to cushion his fall. “These two are… Hagaromo and Hamura’s, no Indra and Ashura.” she said. She then activated her Byakugan. “She even has the Byakugan? That’s crazy.” Naruto said. “So it was Hagaromo who gave you those jutsu?” Kaguya said.

 

“That chakra is insane… can’t you feel it Naruto?” Sasuke said. “It’s all that I’m noticing, my senses are going crazy. This much chakra shouldn’t ever be in one place.” Naruto said. “What is your goal?” Kakashi asked. “This place, this earth is my nursery, I cannot let you damage it any more. Let’s stop fighting.” she said. “Eh? So that means…” Naruto began. “I’ll have you die right here…” Kaguya said, shifting dimensions unexpectedly. Sasuke and everyone were falling and it was a sea of lava right below them. Sasuke didn’t even have time to be surprised. He scooped up some of the blood in one of his wounds and ran through handsigns quickly. He summoned Ace and caught Naruto and the rest of them, using Ace’s massive body. “I can’t believe she can just shift dimensions like that. Something of that caliber should take up a massive amount of chakra.” Sasuke said. “Phew, you saved us!” Naruto said. “Good reaction time Sasuke, that was amazing.” Sakura said. Kaguya hardened her hair and shot needles at Ace. Sasuke blocked some of them using the Susanoo’s hand, but Ace still took some hits to his chakra points. “I’m sorry boss… she got me.” Ace said. They began dropping like rocks and Ace disappeared.

 

Sasuke tried to use the Perfect Susanoo so he could fly and save them, but Kaguya landed an attack on his chakra point in his arm with a spike of hair, dividing his attention. “Shit, she hit one of my chakra points, I won’t be able to fly!” Sasuke said. As they began falling Naruto used his chakra arms to grab them, when they looked, Naruto was levitating. “You can fly?” Sakura asked. “It makes sense, Madara could fly and Naruto has the Six Path’s Senjutsu as well.” Sasuke said. “Once again, all chakra shall become one!” Kaguya said, sending a barrage of chakra fists at them. Naruto countered by making a shadow clone to hold his friends, then making huge fists out of his chakra arms, going blow to blow with Kaguya’s chakra fists. The impact was shaking the place and once they clashed again they blew a hole through the side of the volcano. As Naruto was buying them time, Sasuke took the spike of hair out of his arm and used the Perfect Susanoo, flying around them and trying to land a blow on Kaguya, slashing at her. Kaguya blocked with one of her massive chakra fists, sending Sasuke flying backwards into the lava.

 

Naruto used a chakra arm to grab Sasuke, bringing Sasuke to himself. He then manipulated one of his Truth-Seeking Orbs into a platform for Sasuke to stand on. “Thanks for the save Naruto.” Sasuke said. Kaguya created a portal and appeared right behind them. Both Sasuke and Naruto turned around, and Kaguya stroked their chins, like a mother does to a child. Kaguya’s eyes were flooded with tears and she had a compassionate look on her face. _I- I can’t move!_ “Our chakra… she’s draining it from us!” Naruto exclaimed as a black substance spread on both of their faces, it was Black Zetsu. “My mother is reminded of her own sons when she looks at the both of you. Her own children sealed her away, how could you not feel sorry for her?” he said. “Why would the Sage seal him mom inside of himself? I thought it was the Juubi that he sealed?” Naruto questioned “It seems that you’re mistaken. The Juubi isn’t just made of the God Tree, it’s also made up of the body of my mother, Kaguya. All she wants is to take her chakra back” Black Zetsu said. “Just who are you, Black Zetsu?” Sasuke asked. “I am Kaguya’s child. As my mother was defeated she created me. I manipulated the history of Shinobi, all to resurrect my mother. It was I who twisted Indra, making him lust for power. I revised the tablet Hagaromo left for Indra’s descendants, warning against trying to recreate his mother’s power. I rewrote it, instead telling the Uchiha that the Infinite Tsukyomi would save the Uchiha Clan.” Black Zetsu said. “You couldn’t have!” Sasuke said in disbelief. He’d manipulated his clansmen for centuries. “I did, and everything worked out. You Uchiha played your roles perfectly. I would always come to tempt the successors of Indra and Ashura, the Uchiha and Senju. I approached both families successors to get them to try to awaken the Rinnegan, but each time I failed, until Madara was born. I was confident that Madara would be capable of doing it, but Madara was defeated. To a ninja, Madara’s grave would’ve been a treasure trove. Especially for ones who wanted to study the Sharingan. So I hid Madara’s corpse deep within the mountains of Konoha where hopefully nobody would find it. But Madara was no fool. He used Izangi to rewrite his death, reviving himself. He replaced his corpse with a Shadow Clone as a fake. He had bit off a piece of Hashirama’s flesh during their battle, once he revived he regurgitated the flesh that he had bitten off, then he grafted it into his wound. Near the end of his natural lifespan, Madara was able to awaken his Rinnegan and summon the Gedo Mazo. He cultivated Hashirama’s flesh and prolonged his live, allowing him to survive long.” Black Zetsu said.

 

“I continued to exist within the Uchiha’s shadow, and then I pretended to be borne of Madara. Madara read my modified stone tablet and he wanted to accomplish the Infinite Tsukyomi. The plan to collect the Bijuu, the Akatsuki, everything led up to this. I intentionally showed Madara’s corpse to Orochimaru, I knew he would use it. Furthermore, I manipulated Obito into cooperating with Orochimaru and used him for my plan. Everything was played out perfectly according to my design, ultimately ending up to the resurrection of Kaguya.” Black Zetsu said. Sasuke couldn’t believe that he’d manipulated history just to lead up to this moment, the amount of foresight and planning was unreal. Black Zetsu was weak, but he was a formidable enemy.

 

Naruto quickly jerked himself away form the black fluid that was allowing Kaguya to take away his chakra. He then helped Sasuke to do it as well, using his chakra arms. “You aren’t the history of Shinobi! We’re going to defeat you!” Naruto exclaimed. “We have to create an opening to use the sealing jutsu.” Sasuke reminded Naruto. “Yeah, we’ve got no other choice, lets get started, lend me your ear.” Naruto said as he pulled Sasuke away from Kaguya. “I’m going to use my Harem Jutsu to give us an opening.” Naruto said. “Are you joking? Do you think something like that will work on someone like her?” Sasuke exclaimed. “We’ll never know until we try, all I need you to do is create a distraction.” Naruto said. “You’re going to get us killed, but I’ll try anything at this point.” Sasuke said. They began flying off towards Kaguya and Sasuke used the Amaterasu on Kaguya, but she began absorbing it almost as soon as it hit her. Naruto made some shadow clones and they all jumped in front of Kaguya. Naruto made a handsign and they all transformed into handsome unclothed men. “Reverse Harem Jutsu!” Naruto yelled. Kaguya blushed for a slight moment and Naruto punched her and sent her flying. “This is the history of ninja! Betcha never seen anything like this!” Naruto said.

 

Sasuke used his Rinnegan’s ability, Amenotejikara to switch places with Naruto’s clone that was right next to Kaguya. Naruto appeared at Kaguya’s opposite side, he had hidden himself in the smoke that comes from his Harem Jutsu. Both of them outstretched their hands, preparing to seal Kaguya, but before they knew it, they felt a chill and they were trapped in a block of solid ice. Kaguya then created a portal and escaped the dimension they were in, leaving Naruto and Sasuke stuck in the block of ice. Sasuke used the Amaterasu on his hand, and the Kagutsuchi to manipulate the black flames into spikes to break them out of the ice. “Thanks Sasuke!” Naruto said. “Sorry my jutsu didn’t work, we almost had her though! I didn’t expect her to shift dimensions again.” Naruto said. “This time you follow my lead, I have a plan…” Sasuke began, but he felt a tug on his collar and he was pulled into a portal.

 

Sasuke found himself laying in a sand dune in a new dimension. The heat was beating down on him and there seemed to be no shade in sight. He was also separated from Naruto and the rest of his team. Sasuke took off his flak jacket and wiped beads of sweat from his forehead. _Don’t die while I’m gone Naruto, I can’t beat her alone. Protect Sakura and Kakashi as well. Do it for me._ Sasuke decided to stay where he was, he didn’t want them to be lost if they tried to come find him. Some time later, a portal opened up near Sasuke. “Sasuke, this way! Hurry!” Sakura yelled. She had her hands on Obito’s shoulders, giving him chakra. Sasuke began dashing to the portal but it began shrinking. “Shanarooo!” Sakura yelled and the portal began widening once more. Sasuke started running but the portal collapsed, at the last possible moment, Sasuke used Amenotejikara to swap places with Sakura’s discarded flak jacket.

 

“How did you do that?” Obito asked. “I can swap places in an instant, but it has limitations. It’s my Rinnegan’s ability.” Sasuke said. He was back in the icy dimension and Naruto and his clones were running interference with Kaguya. She used a bone to disintegrate Naruto, turning him to ashes. “Naruto!” Sakura yelled as Naruto poofed out of existence. It was only a Shadow Clone, but Naruto put the Truth-Seeking Orbs behind the clone’s back to fool them into thinking it was actually Naruto Sasuke jumped up next to Naruto, and Naruto created a platform to catch him. “Let’s do this Naruto!” Sasuke said. Kaguya once again changed the dimension and they all fell to the ground. Sasuke tried to get to his feet, but the gravity of this dimension was weighing down on him, he could hardly move. He along with everyone else fell into the ground, the ground was eating into his body, the small pyramids driving themselves inside Sasuke it felt. All of Naruto’s clones dispersed as they fell. Kaguya herself had fallen too and was struggling to move. “This dimensions gravity is insane, but it’s affecting her as well.” Sasuke said. Kaguya raised both of her hands and bones came out of them, they both shot at Naruto and Sasuke with the pair barely being able to dodge them. “Adjusting and compensating now, the next shot will hit.” Kaguya said as she raised her arms once again.

 

Both Kakashi and Obito stood up, willing themselves to move as Kaguya released the bones at both Naruto and Sasuke. Sasuke couldn’t move, and he’d already exhausted his eye powers, he needed to wait for them to return. Kakashi jumped in front of Sasuke and Obito jumped in front of Naruto, intercepting the killing blow for them, except the bone never his Kakashi. Obito warped it at the last possible moment as he was hit by the bone himself. “Obito…” Kakashi said. “Kakashi, you stay here for now… don’t come after me, stay a little while to protect them longer.” Obito said as he begun to crumble. Naruto stood up and placed his hand on Obito’s shoulder, trying to heal him. “That won’t work. Give up on him, he’ll crumble and die like the garbage he is.” Black Zetsu said from inside Kaguya’s sleeve. “Why? We both had accomplished everything we needed to. I was ready to die.” Kakashi said. “Your strength is still needed right here, I am the one who deserved to die. Live and continue to protect the next generation… Kakashi.” Obito said as he crumbled and scattered through the wind.

 

Sasuke used his Rinnegan’s power and shifted himself into the space behind Kaguya and tried to hit her with a Chidori, but she quickly shifted the dimension and flew away, avoiding Sasuke’s attack. The dimension they were in was mountainous, covered with them as far as the eye could see. Sasuke activated his Perfect Susanoo, and flew at Kaguya. “Don’t let his sacrifice go to waste Naruto… let’s go!” Sasuke said, swinging at Kaguya. She used the gigantic chakra fists to knock him back, as Naruto flew into the air above Sasuke. “Let’s do it!” Naruto said as he created eight shadow clones and made a different Rasenshuriken in the hands of all of them. “Super Tailed-Beast Rasenshuriken!” Naruto yelled as he flung them all at Kaguya. They hit her dead on in a huge explosion. “Nice Naruto!” Sakura yelled. The Tailed-Beasts inside of Kaguya began to stir, taking a physical manifestation outside of her body, manifested the head of all the nine Bijuu. She then transformed into a huge rabbit like creature with all of the separate heads of the Bijuu inside of it. “What is that?” Naruto asked. Multiple white arms shot out of it and one of them shot at Sakura.

 

Sasuke quickly flew over to her and tried to grab her, but she was saved by another Susanoo. It was a blue perfect Susanoo with a long scar down it’s eye, like Kakashi. Kakashi was standing in the gem part of the Susanoo’s head and Sakura was in the Susanoo’s hand. “That’s impossible? How do you have the Susanoo?” Sasuke asked. “Obito’s spirit gave me his chakra and gave me these eyes. I won’t have them forever, so let’s win this now!” Kakashi said. “That’s all you needed to say. Let’s win this!” Naruto said. Sasuke was awestruck that Kakashi was able to manifest the Perfect Susanoo on his first try. “After we win this… I’ll name you an honorary member of the Uchiha Clan.” Sasuke joked. One of the arms shot at them and Kakashi created two shuriken shaped like the pattern of his Mangekyo. He flung them at the arms of the beast and once they connected, they warped away the arms with Kamui. “Kamui Shuriken!” Kakashi said. Sasuke flew at one of the arms and chopped it in half and Naruto threw a Rasenshuriken that obliterated one of the arms. “Graaa!” the beast yelled as it opened it’s mouth wide. A massive Truth-Seeking Orb was created from it and Kaguya’s real form appeared next to it, she’d put a great amount of her power into it. The already large Truth-Seeking Orb kept growing. “Expansive Truth-Seeking Orb!” Kaguya said. “It’s like the orbs behind me but much bigger!” Naruto exclaimed. “Kamui can’t teleport something that large, we’ve got to stop it.” Kakashi said. “In other words we have to seal her away before that thing can hit us.” Naruto said. “Huddle up, here’s the plan. As Team Seven this will be our final mission. We’re going to save the world!” Kakashi exclaimed. “Hell yeah!” Naruto exclaimed he said as he created some shadow clones. “I am immortal. If either of you dies you won’t be able to seal me… so which will it be?” Kaguya said. Naruto quickly surrounded Sasuke with his clones. “Neither!” Sasuke yelled.

 

Kaguya shot her bones at Kakashi and he slipped through them, using the short-ranged Kamui that Obito always used. He then re-materialized and pierced her with a Lightning Cutter that sent her flying to the earth. Naruto disguised himself as Sasuke and attacked Kaguya from both sides, outreaching his hand as to seal her. Kaguya began creating a portal to send Sasuke away, and it transformed back into Naruto. She then began using her portal to target the real Naruto, but Kakashi stopped it by using Kamui on the forming portal to make it disappear. “Amenotejikara!” Sasuke said as he switched place with Naruto’s clone, stretching out his hand to seal Kaguya. Kaguya began panicking and flew upwards, where Sakura was waiting. “Shanaroo!” Sakura yelled as she punched Kaguya downwards, allowing Naruto and Sasuke to simultaneously touch both of her shoulders. “Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei!” Naruto and Sasuke yelled as the markings disappeared from their hands. The earth began uprooting, attaching to Kaguya. Kaguya lost control of herself and began to transform. She transformed into something resembling the Gedo statue, with the faces of all the Bijuu coming out of her. They all transformed to their original forms as the Nine Bijuu. Kaguya spit out a weakened Madara Uchiha and he hit the ground hard.

 

The earth began to become Kaguya’s prison, surrounding her with more and more chunks of earth. Naruto threw Black Zetsu into the earth dome along with Kaguya. A huge crater was forming above where Kaguya had been. “We need to get out of here!” Sasuke explained. “No rush, we’ve won! Let’s celebrate!” Naruto said. “How the hell are we supposed to get home? We’re still trapped in Kaguya’s dimension idiot!” Sakura said. A moment later they were back on the battlefield that they’d left behind. They appeared in front of Hagaromo. The Tailed Beasts and spirits of every previous Kage were surrounding them as well. “Welcome back.” Hagaromo said. “Who’s that Sasuke?” Sakura asked. “That’s Hagaromo, the Sage of Six Paths.” Sasuke explained. “Don’t tell me, you’re the legendary Sage?” Kakashi asked. “Yes I am. I’ve returned you all back. I summoned you along with all of the Kage, I called them here from the Pure Land so they could help me. Naruto, Sasuke and everyone, congratulations on saving the world.” Hagaromo smiled.

 

“You’re Kakashi Hatake correct?” Hagaromo asked, gesturing to Kakashi. “Yes.” Kakashi replied. “You led everyone well, you taught and guided both Naruto and Sasuke. If you hadn’t who knows if they would’ve been able to stop mother.” Hagaromo said. “Yo Kuruma!” Naruto waved to the Kyuubi. “I missed you, were ya lonely all by yourself?” Naruto asked. “Don’t be stupid, half of me was inside of you the whole time.” Kuruma replied. “Its time to send back the Five Kage and the other previous Kage. I’ll send them all back at once.” Hagaromo said. Sasuke went to go finish off Madara who was still breathing, but Hagaromo stopped him. “Let the previous generation deal with this, besides… Madara won’t be alive for long. Hashirama went over to talk to Madara and exchange their last words, Madara passed on not too soon after. Naruto quickly jumped over to his dad and exchanged words with him. Sasuke was relieved it was finally over, they’d saved the world. Moments later, Hagaromo released the Impure World Resurrection Jutsu and sent all of the previous Kage back to the Pure Land, and Naruto had time to talk to his dad for the last time. His dad wished him a happy birthday and promised Naruto that he’d tell his mother how much he’d grown. “It seems like its time to entrust the future with the next generation. Sasuke, Naruto, lead Konoha into the future!” Tobirama said as he disappeared with a bright light.

 

“Have any of your answers changed now that you’ve defeated my mother?” Hagaromo questioned. “Not at all.” Naruto said confidently. “Neither did mine.” Sasuke said. “It’s time to dispel the Infinite Tsukyomi. To do it we need Naruto’s Tailed-Beast Chakra, and Sasuke’s Rinnegan. The both of you have to do the Seal of Reconciliation and the jutsu will be dispelled.” Hagaromo said. “Its that easy?” Naruto asked. “Yup, I’ve researched it and I’m sure of it.” Hagaromo said. Naruto and Sasuke walked up to each other. “Let’s end this.” Sasuke said. “Yeah!” Naruto replied as they made the Seal of Reconciliation. The giant roots began to wither and one by one, their comrades had awoken and broken out of their cocoons. They all began to run to Team Seven, holding them high above their heads. Sasuke would usually stop it, but he was caught in the moment, he allowed it to happen. Sasuke saw Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi smiling through the crowd, and Sasuke knew everything had been worth it. They had taken heavy casualties, but they’d done it, they won.

 

 

 

 

 


	17. After the War

Naruto: A Different Path

 

It’s been two weeks since the Great War and everything seemed like it was back to normal… almost. To recover from the crippling losses of personnel throughout all of the Five Shinobi Nations, the Allied Shinobi Forces transitioned into the Shinobi Union. The Shinobi Union was comprised of the Five Great Nations and the Land of Iron. It also began inviting smaller nations to join, allowing anyone to participate. Under the Union, the hidden villages began recovering at a much greater rate than they would’ve on their own. In the interest of peace and cooperation, each village had a representative, and Konoha’s happened to be Shikamaru, the laziest person had been entrusted with more responsibilities, it was ironic.

 

Everyone has gone off on their separate paths. Sakura had begun talking to Sasuke about setting up clinics throughout the Shinobi world, she wanted to help the world recover, she hadn’t left yet, but she was planning on leaving soon. Kakashi had become the Sixth Hokage, something that surprised everyone because he never wanted to become the Hokage. Naruto had begun studying to become a Jonin, becoming the Hokage was his longstanding dream and it was now becoming a reality for him and he was preparing for it. Sasuke had gone his separate path as well, working closely with Kakashi to bring back the Konoha Military Police Force. In fact, he was currently in a meeting with Kakashi right now. They were in the Hokage’s office, there was piles of paperwork and Kakashi had bags under his eyes.  


“The Hokage job keeping you busy I see.” Sasuke said. “More busy than you could imagine. Now about your request…” Kakashi said. “You want to bring back the Konoha Military Police Force, but the Anbu has most of their former responsibilities. They investigate cases in Konoha and solve mysteries as well as do their missions outside of the village.” Kakashi said. “I know that, the Anbu’s internal obligations had been taken from the Konoha Military Police Force, which is why I’m requesting that you give those responsibilities back to the Military Police Force, they were originally in charge of maintaining peace in Konoha.” Sasuke said. “Such a rapid shift would do more harm than good, besides as of now, the Konoha Military Police Force doesn’t technically exist. Although you’ve cleaned up the building and prepared it, you don’t have any officers yet.” Kakashi said. It was true, Sasuke spent the past couple of weeks cleaning the headquarters of the Konoha Military Police Force Painful memories came with it, as he remembered going there with his father sometimes. Headquarters was a large building, it had everything the force needed. Detainment cells, interrogation chambers and training facilities. It also had an office area, which was in the entrance of the building. “We can ease into the shift, giving the police force some responsibilities and increasing them over time. Also, I have been scouting officers, I’ve only waited to start hiring them because I wanted to get the green-light from you.” Sasuke said. “You can go ahead and hire your officers. Once you have some people you’re confident in, come back, I’ll start giving you some of the Anbu’s cases.” Kakashi said. “Thank you.” Kakashi said as he walked out of the office.

 

Sasuke went back to headquarters and began looking for his files. The station was now sparkling, Sasuke had cleaned it up well. Sasuke opened up the brand new file cabinet that he’d bought and retrieved the files. Sasuke had been thinking of who he would want working alongside him for a while, one of the first to come to mind was Neji Hyuga. He was Sasuke’s friend and training partner so Sasuke knew exactly how capable Neji was. His Gentle Fist would be good for incapacitating criminals quickly and his Byakugan allowed him to see through walls to see if anyone was hiding. Sasuke was definitely planning on approaching him. The next person that came to mind was Sai. His ink creations were very versatile and Sai already had experience in the Anbu, so he would probably take to the job well. The other member he wanted to bring along to the force was Kiba Inuzuka. He was fast, strong and a powerful Taijutsu user along with Akamaru. He would suit them as they have two people that could fight at a distance (Sasuke and Sai) and one person who specializes in Taijutsu, Neji. Kiba would be another close-range fighter that would match well with Neji. Those were all the people he had in mind right now, but they were all strong in their own right. If he could get them to join the force they would be powerful assets.

 

Sasuke walked over to the Hyuga Compound where Neji usually was. He was there as Sasuke expected. “Sasuke, what brings you here?” Neji asked. “I’m rebuilding the Konoha Military Police Force and I’m scouting for members. I want you to work with me, be my lieutenant. Help me make this village a better place Neji.” Sasuke said. “I haven’t seen you like this Sasuke, you seem happy. I’m working hard with Hinata to guide the Hyuga Clan right now, we suffered losses in the war. But I accept your offer, I’d like to work alongside you Sasuke. I won’t be able to work with you for a couple of weeks, I have to help Hinata with this ordeal. After that, I’ll join the force with you and I’ll devote my efforts towards making this village a better place as an officer.” Neji said. “Thank you, I’ll see you in a couple of weeks.” Sasuke said as he shook Neji’s hand. _Just like that I’ve got my first member of the force._

 

Sasuke went to find Sai next. He’d been spending an increasing amount of time with Ino lately, so he checked Ino’s flower shop and he found Sai helping Ino with something. Sasuke walked in to the Flower Shop and it was a breath of fresh air as he did, it smelled earthy inside. “Sasuke? Looking to buy some flowers? I didn’t think you were the romantic type of guy, but you did win Sakura over.” Ino said. “No, I came here to talk to Sai.” Sasuke said. “You wanted to talk?” Sai asked. “Yeah. I’m rebuilding the Konoha Military Police Force. I’m recruiting members and I wanted you to join as well. Are you interested?” Sasuke asked. “Sorry, I can’t. Lord Hokage extended an offer to me, he wants me to be a captain in the Anbu and lead the former Root members. I accepted his offer.” Sai said. “We’ll be working closely together then, the Anbu’s responsibilities and the Force’s responsibilities overlap sometimes, so I guess I’ll be seeing you around.” Sasuke said. “Yeah, take care of yourself, good luck finding other members.” Sai said. “Thank you.”

 

Losing Sai to the Anbu was a blow to Sasuke’s plans, nevertheless he continued with his plans, heading to the woods around Konoha where Kiba liked to train. He found Kiba training with Akamaru they were rotating rapidly and hitting trees. “Kiba, come here.” Sasuke said. Kiba stopped spinning and jumped to a branch across from Sasuke. “Sasuke, what brings you here?” Kiba asked. “I came with an offer. I’m rebuilding the Konoha Military Police Force. I want you to join, become a police officer.” Sasuke said. Kiba smirked. “A Police Officer eh? And you’re the chief?” Kiba asked. “Yeah, I am. Neji agreed to join as well, he’s one of my lieutenants, which is the same thing I’m offering you. The force is just me and Neji right now, but I’m building it up. We need to start with a strong foundation, you in Kiba?” Sasuke asked. “Count me and Akamaru in!” Kiba exclaimed. “You ready to become a police dog buddy?” Kiba asked Akamaru. “Arf!” Akamaru barked. Sasuke smirked. _Everything’s coming together._ “Keep in touch Kiba, I’ll make contact sometime soon. We have to report to Kakashi sometime soon. I’ll let you know.” Sasuke said. “Alright.” Kiba said.

 

Sasuke went to go meet up with Sakura and the rest of Team Seven. Today was the day that Sakura was leaving and Sasuke still wasn’t ready. They met at the Konoha Gate. “I can’t believe you’re leaving.” Naruto said. “It feels right, I want to help people, that’s why I became a medic in the first place. There are people who need my help out there, so I want to help them.” Sakura said. “Be safe out there.” Kakashi said. “I believe in you Sakura, go out and help the people who need it.” Sasuke said as he took a step towards her. “Make sure you come back to me.” Sasuke whispered softly and Sakura’s cheeks turned red. “What did you say to her Sasuke?!” Naruto yelled. “Nothing that concerns you.” Sasuke replied, putting back up his cold exterior. “I’ll miss you all, goodbye.” Sakura said as she began walking away. “Bye Sakura!” Naruto yelled. Sasuke waved along with Kakashi. _I’ll miss you Sakura… be safe._

 

A couple of weeks passed and Sasuke, alongside with Neji and Kiba reported to the Hokage’s office. “Sauske, have you found your officers?” Kakashi asked. “Yeah, Neji and Kiba are my lieutenants. We still need more officers, but I figured us three will be able to do most of the work that comes our way for now. Once people realize the Konoha Military Police Force is back, we’ll have plenty of people who are willing to work for us.” Sasuke said. “You’ve got yourself some strong lieutenants. Now that you have officers the Konoha Military Police Force is back fully. You may begin working now, I’ve already told the Anbu about you guys, so they know that you’ll be out there. I’ll start directing cases to you guys as well. Now I want to give you all something.” Kakashi said as he grabbed a box behind him. He lifted it up to show them and it was new flak jackets and arm bands with the symbol of the Police Force emblazoned on them. The symbol of the force is a four-pointed star with the crest of the Uchiha Clan in the middle. The flak jacket themselves were different from the one that Sasuke wore. Gone were all the pouches, it was a simple chest guard that covered the torso and the lower groin with clipped on shoulder pads and a higher collar. Their flak jackets were gray, with black shoulder pads. There was also a strap around the waist part. Kakashi turned them around and the symbol of the Police Force was on the back part as well. “New flak jackets!” Kiba exclaimed. “Yes, these ones will be the ones that all Konoha ninja ranked Chunin or above will wear. I got yours made so it shows your role, that you’re a part of the force. I made a little more than needed because I didn’t know how many members you’d have. How do you like them?” Kakashi asked.  


“I like them a lot, it feels good to see that symbol in a place of prominence again.” Sasuke said honestly. He was accomplishing his goal, the force was just the first step to bringing the Uchiha Clan back to it’s former glory. “They’re pretty cool, much better than the old flak jackets.” Kiba said. “I’ll wear it proudly.” Neji added. “I’m making an announcement to the villagers that the Konoha Military Police Force is back. Be here tomorrow and have on your uniforms.” Kakashi said. “Yahoo! I’ll be there.” Kiba said. Kiba and Neji grabbed their new gear and walked out of the room and Sasuke was left with Kakashi. “Thank you for this… you don’t know how much it means to me.” Sasuke said. “You’re welcome, I hardly did anything. You are the one who worked hard, recruited officers and cleaned the office. All I did was sign some paperwork.” Kakashi said.

 

The next day Sasuke put on his new uniform. He had on a black sweater on under it with the arm band that had the symbol of the police force. He lifted the flak jacket over his head and slipped it on. It fit well. Sasuke wished his father was there to see him. He walked over to the outside of the Hokage’s office where a crowd had gathered. As soon as they saw him, girls began fawning over him in the crowd. It had gotten much worse since the war, he was now considered a hero, so he had even more attention that he usually had. Both Neji and Kiba were there and in uniform. Akamaru had the arm band attached to one of his legs and was standing next to Kiba. Sasuke stood next to his officers as Kakashi walked out. “I have an announcement. I’m hereby declaring the return of the Konoha Military Police Force! Sasuke Uchiha is the chief of the force. Kiba Inuzuka and Neji Hyuga are his lieutenants. They are in charge of law enforcement throughout the village and they are also in charge of investigating Shinobi. They are elite Shinobi that investigate other Shinobi, so as long as you are doing nothing wrong, you don’t have anything to fear. Remember the faces of these men as they will be your protectors.” Kakashi said and the crowd cheered. As the crowd began dispersing, Kakashi walked up to Sasuke. “Cases and incidents are going to be coming to you now. You will be investigating any suspicious behavior from Konoha Shinobi. You’ll also be in charge of general law enforcement like I said.” Kakashi said. “I know all of this.” Sasuke said.

 

Naruto walked out from the crowd and also came to Sasuke. “You’re going to be a Police Captain? It seems so unlike you.” Naruto said. “It’s been a goal of mine to bring back the Police Force. My father was also the captain.” Sasuke said. “I’m happy for you Sasuke. You should’ve hired me. I would’ve done a better job than Kiba!” Naruto exclaimed. “Shut up!” Kiba yelled back. “I thought you were busy studying to become a Jonin?” Sasuke questioned. “Their overworking me, I’m already strong enough to be a Jonin. If they had an exam I’d dust it.” Naruto said. “Unless they had a written part…” Sasuke replied. “You got me there…” Naruto said, acknowledging his own stupidity. “Well maybe after you become a Jonin I’ll hire you.” Sasuke said. “Alright, I gotta get back to work before Iruka Sensei starts looking for me. I kinda slipped out when I was still supposed to be studying.” Naruto said. He then walked back to the academy. _Hero of the war, a huge idiot. It seems like Naruto will never change. But that’s what I like about him._

 

The next day it was time to work. Sasuke, Neji and Kiba were in the office part of headquarters. Sasuke was at his desk, waiting for a call. Neji was sitting at his own desk and Kiba was pacing. “Man, when are we gonna get some action?! I’m excited to get out there!” Kiba said. “Well it has been much more peaceful than usual, perhaps that’s why business was slow.” Neji said. They had been there for an hour without a peep of any incidents. Then the phone at Kiba’s desk rang. Both Sasuke and Neji’s head turned and Kiba answered it quickly. “Konoha Military Police Force!” Kiba said. “Mhmm, okay, I’ll be there quickly.” Kiba said as he hung up the phone. “What is it?” Sasuke asked. “A theft, some brat snatched an old lady’s purse. I’m going to go catch the kid.” Kiba said, running out the door. Neji looked at Sasuke and smirked. “What?” Sasuke asked. “He forgot to take the cuffs.” Neji said, picking up the cuffs on Kiba’s desk. Both of them burst out laughing.

 

Fifteen minutes later, Kiba was back and he was carrying a kid on his shoulders. The kid was no older than twelve, he had shaggy brown hair, a ratty red sweater and shorts on. “I kinda forgot to bring the cuffs, so I just knocked the kid out.” Kiba said casually. “Kiba, you can’t just go knocking kids out, but good job bringing him back here.” Sasuke said. “He should be waking up soon… what should we do? He’s just a kid.” Neji said. “His parent will probably be coming here soon. Kiba did you return what he stole?” Sasuke asked. “Of course I did. I gave the old lady her bag back.” Kiba said. “Alright, all we have to do is wait to his parents come to get him, he’s not old enough for us to really punish, he’s just a kid.” Sasuke said.

 

When the kid woke up, he made a mad dash to the door but Sasuke quickly got in front of him, looking at the kid intently. “Why did you try to steal an old ladies purse?” Sasuke asked. The kid’s eyes were full of fear. He had brown eyes and shaggy brown hair, he wore a ratty oversized red sweater and cargo shorts. “I was hungry and when she sat down I saw money coming out of her purse. I was soo hungry… I didn’t have a choice, I hadn’t eaten for days.” he said. “What’s your name kid?” Sasuke asked. “My name is Idate, Idate Shimura, I’m an orphan. The orphanage has food, but it also has a bunch of other kids, not everyone gets all they need.” Idate said. Sasuke closely examined the kid, he was skin and bones. His sweater hardly even fit him. “So you don’t have anyone coming here for you?” Kiba asked. “No, I don’t.” he said. Sasuke took out his wallet and pulled out a couple of bucks, enough for him to have a meal for a couple of days. “Here kid, get something to eat.” Sasuke said, handing him the money. “Thank you so much!” he said, smiling widely. “Don’t steal anymore, I understand that you felt you had to, but stealing is wrong.” Sasuke said. Idate walked out of the building and went back home.

 

Two years had passed and the Konoha Military Police Force had gained more membership as it gained more prominence throughout the village. Sasuke, Neji and Kiba had been solving cases and bringing crooked Shinobi to justice, and the village had begun to take note. Naruto finally finished studying to be a Jonin and he was promoted by Kakashi. Sakura had set up her clinics throughout the land and she’d became known as a healer on the same caliber as Tsunade. She then returned back to Konoha to continue serving as an active Shinobi in the village. Konoha had been recovering from the scars of war slowly but surely with the guidance of Kakashi as the Sixth Hokage. Today there was a festival called the Rinne Festival that Sakura was dragging Sasuke along to.

 

“ _It’s going to be romantic.” a nineteen year-old Sakura had said, trying to convince Sasuke. She changed her outfit, she now wore a sleeveless red dress with white trimmings that reached her thighs. “I don’t really do these sorts of things. Festivals aren’t my style.” Sasuke said. Sasuke was now nineteen, his hair had grown to cover his Rinnegan eye. He still wore his police uniform and he’d grown taller. “Well they are mine. So you’re coming, you don’t have a choice.” Sakura said._

 

It was a full moon that night as they walked through the festival. The snow and the silver lights throughout the village complimented the moon’s light well. Sasuke had gotten a gift for Sakura, as it was the tradition for loved ones to exchange gifts. “Sakura, I got you something.” Sasuke said. “You did? I thought you said you weren’t into this type of stuff.” Sakura asked. “Well, I’m not, but you are. So I wanted to do something for you, isn’t it the tradition for this festival for loved ones to exchange gifts?” Sasuke said and Sakura’s cheeks turned red. “Here, let me show you what I got you.” Sasuke said as he pulled it out of his pocket. It was a pink chain charm bracelet. It only had one charm on it. It was a circular charm. Etched on it was S and S. “What does S and S mean?” Sakura asked. “Sasuke and Sakura.” Sasuke said as he placed it on her arm. “I love it, but why is there only one charm?” Sakura asked. “So I can add more with the memories we make together in the future.” Sasuke said.

 

“For someone who said he didn’t like romance, you sure are good at it Sasuke.” Sakura said. She then reached in her back pocket and pulled out a black watch. It wasn’t too extravagant, it was simple. Inside the glass where the hands of the clock were, was an Uchiha symbol. “Sakura you didn’t have to…” Sasuke began. “I wanted to. Do you like it?” she asked. “I do.” Sasuke said. As they were walking a flaming meteor soared overhead. “What’s that?” Sakura asked. “It’s a meteor.” Sasuke said. If flew past the Hokage monument and a loud _boom_ rang out. The meteor crashed outside of the village.

 

The next day, Kakashi called Sasuke into his office to brief him. There was a girl standing behind his desk that Sasuke didn’t know. “Sasuke, the moon is being drawn to earth. It’s been breaking into pieces and the pieces have been flying to earth. If we do nothing about it, the whole world will be destroyed.” Kakashi said. “So that’s why that meteor hit the outside of Konoha.” Sasuke said. “Correct. Also, Hanabi Hyuga has been kidnapped by someone named Toneri, I sent out a team consisting of Sakura, Naruto, Sai, Shikamaru and Hinata to recover her. I didn’t send you because I want you here defending the village, there ought to be some incidents and the police force will be needed. Also, lift out your right hand.” Kakashi said. Sasuke did and the girl made a handseal and a clock appeared on his palm. “This clock is a countdown to the earth’s destruction. I think this Toneri person might be behind it, that was another reason I sent them after him. I want you to be on guard for those meteorites today, and if any of them are in the path of Konoha, I want you and the rest of the force to be there to destroy them.” Kakashi said. “So you’re betting everything on Toneri being behind this?” Sasuke asked. “Yes. Things like this aren’t mere coincidence. He shows up, kidnaps Hanabi, all when we’re getting news that the moon is falling to the earth. I would say there’s more than meets the eye.” Kakashi said. “Alright, I’ll have my men stationed throughout the village, we’ll take care of any meteorites that make come Konoha’s way.” Sasuke said. “Also, we’re going to be evacuating the village to a location in the Land of Fire. Some of your officers can help to smooth along that process, Tsunade is overseeing the evacuation as she can heal any of the wounded.” Kakashi said. “Alright, I’ll put someone on it.” Sasuke said.

 

Sasuke went back to headquarters, it was bustling. It was no longer just three guys, Sasuke had a dozen officers now. He’d added Rock Lee to their ranks. Lee was an enthusiastic officer and he was good at fighting crime. Where he’d lacked was the detective aspect of the job, so Sasuke made sure he never gave Lee those jobs unless absolutely necessary. Kiba had grown to excel at crime-fighting, and an effective detective as well, as he was surprisingly good at detective work. Sasuke had promoted him to captain, and he was in charge of a squad. Neji was one of the best officers that Sasuke had. He caught criminals at an astounding rate, using his Byakugan to see where criminals were hiding. He used his genius-level intellect to solve cases and had become Sasuke’s best detective. He would’ve been _the_ best detective if it weren’t for Sasuke himself. Sasuke had promoted Neji to Deputy Chief, his authority second to only Sasuke himself.

 

Sasuke devoted his full efforts and energy into the force, solving cases that people had deemed unsolvable, cold cases that had happened years ago. He’d also brought multiple wicket Shinobi to justice. The biggest case that hit his desk is when Orochimaru got released from prison. Sasuke had to monitor Orochimaru’s behavior personally to see that he didn’t slip back into his old ways. Sasuke still keeps close tabs on Orochimaru’s activities even now. Orochimaru had a lab in the Land of Fire, continuing his research to benefit Konoha but under the close watch and scrutiny of Sasuke, the Anbu, and Kakashi himself. If Orochimaru did anything they didn’t like he’d be back in jail. The Anbu checked in with him every week. He wasn’t allowed to leave the Land of Fire anymore or ever be a Shinobi ever again. His new officers were people that he’d recruited recently, mostly comprising of members of powerful clans of Konoha. He allowed people that weren’t from clan’s in as well, he’d had one on the force. She was a spitfire, she was hungry and eager to prove herself. When Sasuke had been looking to increase his ranks she was one of the first to apply. She was only a Chunin for now, but she proved strength to Sasuke and earned her place on the force.

 

“ _Arai Suki, you’re here to become a police officer right?” Sasuke asked, looking at the girl. She was young, about sixteen. Her black hair was in her eyes, and it was pulled back into two french braids. She wore what looked to be a tank top, but with black plate armor covering her chest and a fishnet shirt under it. She wore black Shinobi Pants with her kunai holster on her left side. “Yeah, I’ve seen you guys around the village solving crimes, bringing bad people to justice, I think you’re all doing good work, and I know I could contribute to that work that you’re all doing, so I’m here.” she said. “Tell me about yourself.” Sasuke said. “Don’t you already have all my information in your file along with my application? This is just a waste of time, but as you already know I’m Arai Suki, a Chunin. I am passionate about protecting this village, which is the reason I became a Shinobi as well, it’s also the reason I want to become a member of the force. I don’t belong to any type of clan and I developed my fighting style on my own.” she said._

 

“ _Speaking of your fighting style, describe it to me.” Sasuke said. “I can vibrate things rapidly. I can vibrate my vocal cords to create ear-splitting sounds can incapacitate enemies, I can also vibrate my legs too, making me run much faster than the normal person, but not for long, I can only do it in short bursts. I don’t know the origin of these abilities… I just know that I’ve had them since I was little.” she said. “I use Lightning Release as well as Wind, but I’m more proficient in using Lightning Release.” she said. “I want to test your abilities, I would usually do it here within the building where our training quarters are, but I want to give you enough room to stretch your legs. So we’ll be going to one of the training fields to test your abilities. Kiba, come with me.” Sasuke called and he stood up from his desk. “A new recruit?” he asked. “Possibly, come with me, the both of you.” Sasuke said and both of them followed him to the training field._

 

“ _So why did you drag me along Sasuke?” Kiba asked. “You’re going to fight her. I want to see exactly how strong she is, there’s no way quicker to than in a battle.” Sasuke said as he jumped into a nearby tree.“Well you’re right… but there’s no way I’m going to hurt a girl.” Kiba said and Arai cracked her knuckles loudly. “This girl’s going to hurt_ you. _” She said as she whipped at Kiba. Kiba blocked her attack easily, throwing her backwards. “I read your file too, aren’t you supposed to be fast?” Kiba taunted. “Oh that’s because I wasn’t trying, I didn’t want to dismember one of the Chief’s men in front of him, but now it’s not a bad idea.” Arai said. “Bring it on!” Kiba said and he began to dash at Arai. Arai placed two fingers in her mouth and let off a deafening whistle. Kiba’s hands instinctively went to cover his ears, and so did Sasuke’s. Kiba was kneeling in agony with his hands covering his ears. “Shit! She got me!” Kiba swore._

 

_Arai smiled. “You’ve only just had a taste, let’s follow up with the second act!” she said as she spread her arms out wide and clapped her hands with increased speed. “Thunderclap!” she yelled and a loud booming noise rang out. The shockwave sent Kiba flying backwards and Arai zipped right behind him, grabbing Kiba by the collar. “You said what about my speed?” Arai said. Sasuke was amazed, she was pretty strong. She would be a great addition to the force, but her ability, it couldn’t have just been something she’d picked up. Sasuke was intrigued about the origins of her power. “How’d I do chief?” she said and Sasuke regained his composure. “You did good, better than most people do. Take into consideration that Kiba didn’t have Akamaru with him, he didn’t have half of his power in that fight, so don’t get cocky.” Sauske said. “I want to fight you too, you’re supposed to be one of the heroes of the Great War. I want to see how good the great Sasuke Uchiha is.” she said. She let Kiba lose “What a recruit you’ve got here, but she’s a handful it seems.” Kiba said. “What are you whispering to the Chief?!” she yelled. “I’m going to duck out here, as much as I’d like to see Sasuke beat you, it’s time to take Akamaru for a walk.” Kiba said as he walked away._

 

“ _You really want to fight me? You should know what I’m capable of, I won’t be anything like Kiba.” Sasuke said. “I want to see how far the gap is between a captain and the chief. Let’s do this.” she said as she began stretching. She made a handsign, and created Shadow Clones, sending them around Sauske. “This way you won’t be able to escape from my sound.” she said as she placed two fingers inside of her mouth and let out a deafening whistle that came at Sasuke from all sides. “Shinra Tensei!” Sasuke said, pushing both her, and the sound waves away from him. As she flew backwards she began making handsigns “Lightning Release: Thunderclap Arrow!” she yelled, sending a lightning bolt at Sasuke. Using Preta Path, Sasuke absorbed the chakra from the attack, nullifying it. “Bansho Ten’in!” Sasuke said raising his hand at her and drawing her in. He grabbed her by the neck and held his blade out to her. “I’m on a completely different level than Kiba.” Sasuke said. “I see that, no wonder why they are calling you a legendary ninja.” Arai said. “So am I in?” she asked. “Yes, you are, welcome to the force.” Sasuke said._

 

“Officers, what I’m about to tell you is top secret, it can’t leave this room.” Sasuke said. “What is it Sasuke?” Kiba said. “The moon is falling to earth, the earth’s gravity will make pieces of the moon crumble and fall to earth tonight, if it isn’t stopped it will be the end of the world. The Hokage already has capable people on a mission following a lead. We’ll be needed to protect the villagers against the falling meteorites, destroying them. We’ll also be needed to help evacuate the villagers.” Sasuke said. “So you’re telling me the world is ending tonight?” Kiba said. “There’s a good possibility, that’s why we have to try our best to protect the village so Naruto and the others can complete their mission and save the world.” Sasuke said. “Why is it top secret?” Arai asked. “So it won’t cause a mass panic, if we need to evacuate the villagers we need them calm.” Neji said. “That’s right. Tsunade is leading the evacuation. We’ll need some people on the evacuation and some people defending the village from the meteorites.” Sasuke said. “I’ll help with the evacuation.” Neji said. “So will I.” Kiba said. “Good, now the defense?” Sasuke asked. “I’ll crush the meteors.” Lee said. “I’ll join the defense as well chief!” Arai stood up. “Alright, I’ll be in the defense as well. The rest of you patrol the village.” Sasuke ordered. “Right!” the rest of his officers said.

Sasuke and his officers were on standby all day. Sasuke, Kakashi, Lee and Arai were all overlooking the village, looking out for any rouge meteorites. Neji and Kiba came back at nightfall after evacuating everyone. “Did you get everyone?” Sasuke asked. “Yeah, we got everyone, it took a while, but we came back here so we could join the defense as well.” Neji said. “Tsunade didn’t need anymore help and she allowed us to leave so we could defend the village against the falling meteorites.” Kiba said. “Also, I found Hiashi, he told me he was attacked by the enemy. It was by chance that I had saw him with my Byakugan. Didn’t you speak with him Lord Hokage?” Neji asked. “I did, he pleaded with me not to destroy the moon because that’s where Toneri had taken Hanabi and that’s where Naruto and the others had to be. The Five Kage had made up their mind already, but I dissuaded them, they’ll destroy it if Naruto and the others don’t stop Toneri quick enough though.” Kakashi said. This worried Sasuke slightly as Sakura was on the moon along with Naruto.

 

“They’ll finish their mission before it comes to that.” Sasuke said and Kakashi smiled. Just as Sasuke finished speaking, three meteorites began soaring down to earth. One was noticeably bigger than the others. “Now is the time! Lee, Kiba, you guys take the one on the right. Arai, Neji, take the one on the left. I’ll take the one in the center. Go!” Sasuke ordered. Lee immediately powered up. “Sixth Gate of Joy, open!” he yelled, glowing green and jumping into the air. Kiba and Akamaru transformed into a three headed dog and began spinning. “Fang Wolf Fang!” he yelled as he jumped. Arai and Neji both jumped into the air as well. Sasuke used his Susanoo’s arm and created a huge Chidori with it. He jumped into the air and smashed the biggest meteorite into pieces. Both Kiba and Lee tore through their meteorite. Arai took out a pair of chopsticks and vibrated and pressed them into the meteorite, making it shatter due to the vibrations. “Vacuum Palm!” Neji said thrust his hand and blew away the remains of the meteorite. Sasuke and the rest of his team landed. “Good job guys.” Sasuke said. “The Konoha Military Police Force has saved the village, now it’s up to Naruto to finish the job and save the world.” Kakashi said. “They have an hour left, if they aren’t back in an hour the Raikage is planning to fire a cannon that will destroy the moon.” Kakashi said. “Hurry up Naruto!” Kiba said.

 

Sasuke looked up at the moon and flashes of yellow and green light were clashing. Sasuke knew Naruto had to be in battle with something. An hour passed and they hadn’t gotten any sign that Naruto had defeated the enemy and saved the world. “The Raikage might have to destroy the moon and everyone on it…” Kakashi said. “No, look closer.” Sasuke said, smirking. When Kakashi looked, the words Mission Accomplished were carved into the surface of the moon. “The Raikage ought to have seen that, we’re saved.” Kakashi said. “I have to tell the other Kage if they didn’t already know. Sakura and the others should be back soon.” Kakashi said as he left. Sasuke then turned to his men. “You’re dismissed, good job guys.” Sasuke said. “And girl!” Arai added as they all left and head back to headquarters.


	18. A New Era!

Naruto: A Different Path

 

A few months later after the world was threatened by the falling of the moon, Sasuke had now begun to think about his primary goal, the resurrection of the Uchiha Clan. It would obviously entail having children, continuing the bloodline of the Uchiha Clan. Sasuke wanted to share his life with Sakura, they’d already been dating since they were practically kids, only fourteen years old. It’s been five years since then. So Sasuke had been going out, searching for a ring while Sakura was on missions. Sasuke had found a perfect ring, and a charm on her bracelet to go with it. Sasuke had been plotting the perfect time to pop the question. He’d decided he would pop the question to her today, after her shift at the hospital, taking her on a picnic as the sun set, then he’d ask her to spend their lives together. He’d gotten her some of her favorite foods, syrup-coated anko dumplings, umeboshi and anmitsu. Sakura sure had a sweet tooth. He sat outside of the hospital with his picnic basket, he’d hoped nobody seen with it, especially Naruto. Naruto would never forget it and would tease him for it if he did. But Sasuke hadn’t seen Naruto around recently anyways, he was spending most of his time with Hinata. They’d finally gotten together after that mission and Sasuke was happy for his friend.

 

When Sakura walked out, she’d saw Sasuke. “Hey Sasuke, it isn’t like you to come pick me up from work, what’s up?” she asked. Sasuke held up his picnic basket. “You wanna go on a picnic?” Sasuke asked. Sakura began blushing. “Yeah, what is all this about?” Sakura asked. “Nothing, I just wanted to eat with you.” Sasuke said. Sasuke and Sakura walked up to a spot overlooking the village. “Alright, this is where we’ll be eating.” Sasuke said as he spread the tablecloth and opened up the picnic basket. As he took out the food Sakura’s mouth began salivating. “You’ve got all of my favorite foods! You can’t tell me that something isn’t up, you’re never this romantic.” Sakura said as she began devouring the syrup-covered anko dumplings, she didn’t even wait for Sasuke’s explanation. Sasuke smiled as he began eating some of his plain rice. After Sakura finished eating her dumplings she got back to asking Sasuke. “Okay Sasuke, the jig is up. What’s up with you?” Sakura asked. “Remember five years ago, when we were only fourteen years old. When you and Kakashi threw that birthday party for me it was one of the best parties I’d ever had ever since the massacre. It made me feel like I wasn’t alone in the world, I had been in a bad place some time before that. I almost had left the village.” Sasuke said.

 

Sakura frowned. “You almost left the village? Why didn’t I ever hear about this?” Sakura asked. “Because Kakashi, he stopped me. He made me realize all that I had here at Konoha, he convinced me to stay here and not throw away my life. I was going to go to Orochimaru for the power to defeat my brother, I was so obsessed with avenging my clan, that I forgot that I was the last of the clan. If I’d left I would’ve been doing the same thing as Itachi. He made me realize that I should stay here and restore my clan in my own way. I’ve been trying my best to do that.” Sasuke said. “ I’ll have to thank Kakashi Sensei the next time I see him. I know you’ve been trying your best, and you even brought back the Konoha Military Police Force. You’ve become a hero, someone that people trust and believe in.” Sakura said. Sasuke knew then, that she was the one who he truly wanted to spend the rest of his life with. She made him feel ways that nobody had made him feel. “You’re a big part of my dream as well Sakura. When I think about my future, I think about you. You’re the one for me, I want to spend the rest of my life with you and I want to restore the Uchiha clan with you. Sakura Haruno, will you be my wife?” Sasuke said sincerely as he got down on one knee and pulled out the little black box. Within it contained a diamond ring, and engraved in the ring was S and S. Sakura blushed heavily and put her hands over her eyes. “Yes! I will.” Sakura said softly. Sasuke slipped the ring on her finger and kissed the woman he was going to share the rest of his life with.

 

Sasuke and Sakura got married a couple of months later. It was a small wedding, most of the people that Sasuke and Sakura invited were their close friends and comrades as well as Sakura’s family and Sasuke’s officers. Sasuke had wore a tuxedo and Sakura had on a beautiful white dress. They had it at the Uchiha Compound as that’s where they would live after the wedding. Sasuke had felt that it was the time to as he was starting a family and he would be the head of the Uchiha Clan. He could no longer run from the bad memories of the place, he had to create better memories here. Sasuke had decided that the wedding would be the first of the good memories that they would make here. Sasuke and Sakura’s wedding was the first wedding in a string of weddings for their classmates. Naruto and Hinata’s was next, it was a beautiful wedding and they, unlike Sasuke and Sakura, invited half of Konoha to their wedding. It was a huge wedding and even people from other villages had came, including all of the current and former Kage and Naruto’s friends from around the world. After that, the weddings were back to back. Neji and Tenten, Shikamaru and Temari, Ino and Sai. It was like they all had gotten together and decided that this was the year they’d all get married, but it was completely unplanned.

 

As a new year came, Sakura had gotten some news that she had presented Sasuke with. “Sasuke, I’m pregnant.” she’d said. “You are?” Sasuke said. Sasuke knew he would need to have children to restore his clan, but the fact that it was actually happening shocked him. “Yeah, I had been feeling sick and I went to Tsunade with it because she’s good with those kind of things. She checked me and she’d smiled. She told me that I wasn’t sick, I was pregnant.” Sakura said. “That’s great, I’m so happy.” Sasuke said. Sakura smiled. They were both ecstatic about the news. In fact when Sasuke went to work that day, Sasuke’s officers noticed how happy he was. “What’s got you so happy boss?” Arai asked. “Yeah, you’ve been smiling all day. It’s not like you.” Kiba said. Sasuke usually wouldn’t like people asking him questions about his life. Sakura had made him become more social, to not shut people out of his life anymore. Sasuke had become more social with his friends, but still kept a colder exterior to the general public. But he had a different type of relationship with his officers, they were family to him and he was already in a good mood so he told them. “It’s Sakura, she’s pregnant.” Sasuke said. “It seems like you guys didn’t waste any time.” Kiba joked. “I’m happy for you boss. Congrats.” Arai said. “I’m also happy for you, it seems like your dreams are coming true Sasuke.” Neji said. “Yeah, I haven’t been this happy in years. I’m bringing my clan back, it’s always been my dream.” Sasuke said.

 

After work, Sasuke went to find Naruto to tell him about it. Naruto was at home and Sasuke knocked on the door. “Come in!” Naruto said. Sasuke opened the door and Naruto was at the table, it looked like he’d just finished eating. He was in his casual clothes, an orange hoodie and sweatpants. “Hey Sasuke, what brings you here?” he asked. Hinata was at the kitchen, washing some dishes. “Can I get you anything to drink?” she’d asked. “Just water please.” Sasuke said as he turned to Naruto. “It’s Sakura, she’s pregnant.” Sasuke said. “Congratulations, do you know if it’s a boy or girl yet?” Naruto asked. “No, not yet, it’s still too early.” Sasuke replied. Hinata placed the water in front of him. “I’m so happy for you Sasuke. It’s always been your dream to bring back your clan right? You’re on the right path.” she said. “Yeah, it still doesn’t feel real to me.” Sasuke said. “I’m betting you want a boy first right since you want to continue the Uchiha name.” Naruto said. “I do want a boy, but it doesn’t matter to me. Having family again is what matters to me. I’ve been alone in the world, I’ve been the last Uchiha for most of my life. Now I don’t have to be, once the baby is born I’ll won’t be the last Uchiha anymore.” Sasuke said. “Don’t be silly Sasuke, you already aren’t the last Uchiha anymore. You have Sakura too.” Hinata said. “Yeah, you’re right.” Sasuke said.

 

Nine months later Sakura gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. “It’s a boy…” Tsunade said as baby cried and she handed Sakura her child. The baby had black hair and onyx eyes, his appearance resembled his father’s. “And a girl!” Tsunade said as she handed Sakura and her daughter. She also had black hair, but she had her mother’s eyes. It was love at first sight, Sasuke loved both of his children the first second he’d seen them. “Come hold them, our children…” Sakura said, her eyes watering and filled with affection towards her children. She handed both of them to Sasuke and he held both of them. Soon as Sasuke held them they started crying even more. Sasuke smiled. “At least we know they’re lungs are strong.” he joked. Sasuke looked at his children. “I’ll protect the both of you forever.” he whispered to them and they stopped crying. “What did you say to them to make them stop?” Sakura asked. “I told them that I’d always protect them.” Sasuke said and Sakura smiled. “What are their names?” Tsunade said, watching her student’s beautiful moment. “Me and Sasuke agreed that I’d name the girl and Sasuke would get to name the boy if we had one.” Sakura said. “My daughter… I’ll name her Sarada. Sarada Uchiha.” Sakura said. “I like it, she has your eyes too. Look at her.” Sasuke said. “Yeah she does, but that’s about the only thing that she inherited of mine. Both of them are the spitting image of you Sasuke. I guess those Uchiha genes are strong.” she said. “So what will you name your boy Sasuke?” Sakura asked. Sasuke looked at his baby boy and smiled. “Akira. His name will be Akira Uchiha.” Sasuke said. _I’m no longer alone… I have a family. I’m a father now, and a husband. I have to do my best and stay alive so I don’t leave them alone in this world. But then again, they’ll never be alone. They have each other, it won’t be like Itachi and I._

 

Twelve years has passed since Sasuke’s twins were born. Naruto had accomplished his dream. He’d become the Seventh Hokage and was known as the greatest Hokage there ever was. Kakashi had retired and handed down the mantle and nobody could argue with Naruto’s qualifications. The only other possible contenders for the Hokage title were Sasuke and Sakura, and both of them weren’t interested. Naruto had been the only person considered, and there would’ve probably been outcry if Naruto hadn’t become the Hokage. Sasuke had also fulfilled his own dreams. He and Sakura had another child during the time span, a boy named Natsuo. Like the meaning of his name, he was born in the summer. He inherited his mother’s pink hair, but the rest of his features were just like Sasuke’s. He had sharp onyx eyes and an angular face. He was three years younger than his siblings and they never let him forget it. Sasuke was the head of the Uchiha Clan and the chief of police. He worked closely together with Naruto to enforce the law, monitor shinobi and protect the village. Sakura had been known as the best healer in the world, surpassing Tsunade and her clinics revolutionized medical care. Today was the day their eldest children would graduate from the Academy.

 

When Sasuke awoke, Sakura was already up making breakfast. “Sakura, good morning.” he said. “Good morning, the kids aren’t up yet. It’s your turn to wake them up.” Sakura said. “Alright, I’ll wake Sarada first, she’s the least of my worries.” Sasuke said. He walked throughout the compound to Sarada’s room, the memories that Sasuke had in this place no longer plagued him. He, his children and Sakura had filled the place with good memories. Like the time that Sasuke first taught his eldest two how to use the Great Fireball Jutsu, a coming-of-age jutsu for the Uchiha Clan.

 

_Four years ago when Sarada and Akira were eight and Natsuo was five years old, Sasuke took them to the pier where his father had shown him the Great Fireball Jutsu. “Today is the day that I show you all how to use a signature jutsu of the Uchiha Clan, the Great Fireball Jutsu.” Sasuke said. “Really Papa? You’re going to teach us that incredible jutsu?” Sarada asked. “Well I’ll be showing you all the handsigns and the proper way it’s done, you’ll all have to figure out how to use it on your own. Once you are able to use it, you are considered an adult in the clan, it’s an old tradition. “I’ll master it before you do!” Akira teased his sister. His dark hair was spiked and it hung close to his eyes, but not over them. He had bangs that went down the sides of his face. His hair was almost to his shoulders. “Shannaro! As if. I’ll master it before you.” Sarada said, her hair was to her shoulders and she tucked it behind her ear. She resembled Sasuke, strongly as well, but her eyes were just like Sakura’s. “Hey, don’t forget about me, I can master it before the both of you!” the small Natsuo said. He didn’t want to be left behind by his older siblings. Natsuo very similar to Sasuke except for his pink hair. He had determined eyes and he smiled exactly like Sasuke. “You’ll all master it with time, it doesn’t matter who does it first.” Sasuke said._

 

“ _Now allow me to demonstrate.” Sasuke said as he began making handsigns, he slowed them down significantly so his children would be able to keep track with their eyes. “Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!” Sasuke exhaled a huge fireball that soared across the pier. “Wow dad, that was amazing!” Natsuo said. “Let me try.” Akira said confidently as he shuffled past his father. Sasuke backed up and allowed his son to attempt the jutsu. Akira began making the handsigns and yelled “Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!” Akira exhaled a small fireball that didn’t hold it’s form for long, nothing compared to the size of Sasuke’s but it was much better than Sasuke had done on his first try. “Just as I’d expect from my son, good job. Sarada, would you like to try?” Sasuke asked._

 

“ _I can’t let him do better than me. So I’ll create an even bigger fireball than he did.” Sarada said as she began making the correct handsigns. “Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!” Sarada said as she spit a fireball smaller than Akira’s, but it had went much farther and kept its form for longer than Akira’s had. “Haha, good try sis. You can’t beat me with a fireball that size.” Yasuo laughed. “But Dad, Sarada’s fireball lasted longer then Akira’s.” Natsuo said, ever so observant. “That’s correct. Although Akira made the bigger fireball, Sarada’s fireball lasted longer and went much farther. It shows that she has better chakra control than Akira.” Sasuke told them. “You see, I didn’t lose. You made the bigger fireball, yes. Mine was better though.” Sarada one-upped her brother. Sasuke smiled, his children had reminded him of how he and Itachi had been._

 

Sasuke tried his best to educate his children on the history of their clan. He’d taught them most of the traditions, and he’d created new traditions of his own with his children. When his eldest children had become ten years old and Natsuo had been eight, he’d introduced them to a tradition that Sasuke had want to pass on.

 

_Sasuke had took his children to the seemingly abandoned city of Sora-ku. “Dad, why’d you drag us all the way out here? There’s nothing here, it’s just an abandoned city.” Akira complained. “It obviously isn’t just an abandoned city. Papa wouldn’t bring us here for no reason.” Sarada argued. “This city is an abandoned city, but it’s also a supply base for the Uchiha Clan.” Sasuke said. “Really?” Natsuo asked. “Yes, an old family friend lives here and watches over our weapons supplies.” Sasuke said as he went to find Nekobaa. He found her where she usually was, in her building. They walked inside and Nekobaa smiled.“Sasuke is that you? It’s been too long, you’ve grown.” she said, then turning her attention to Sasuke’s kids. “Now you have kittens of your own, I can’t believe how much time has passed.” she said. “It’s good to see you. These are my kids, Sarada, Akira and Natsuo. I’ve brought them here so we could get them some quality weapons. The Uchiha Armory back at the compound is almost out.” Sasuke said._

 

“ _You’ve come to the right place.” Nekobaa said. “We’ve came all this way to get weapons? We could’ve gotten weapons back at Konoha.” Yasuo said. “The weapons you would’ve gotten at Konoha wouldn’t have been the same quality of weapons that you’ll find here.” Sasuke said. “But why is obtaining weapons so important? We aren’t even ninja yet.” Sarada asked. “The Uchiha Clan has an aptitude for all combat-oriented skills and we’re known to use ninja tools as well. I want you all to find a weapon that you’re suited for and to master it. Weapons are great allies to Shinobi and they are an extension of a Shinobi’s body. You need to learn your weapon so you’ll be able to draw out it’s full power and rely on it in battle. Doing this now will greatly benefit you all, I tried to pick up a sword and fight a trained swordsmen before I knew what I was doing. I almost died that day, I never want any of you to go through the same thing. So today you’ll all be focused on finding a weapon that suits you.” Sasuke said._

 

“ _Can they try out some of your selection of weapons?” Sasuke asked. “Alright, let me go to the back to get them.” Nekobaa said. “The back? There are weapons right there.” Sarada gestured towards the display case filled with weapons. “Oh those weapons are for the suckers.” she said. Nekobaa came back with a scroll. She unrolled it and said “Release!” and a pile of weapons appeared on top of the scroll. “Try out any weapon you’d like.” she said. Sasuke sat back to see which one’s his kids would go for. He knew that Akira would go for something flashy, a sword or something of the sort. He wasn’t sure about what his other two children would grab, but he was curious to find out. Akira proved Sasuke wrong, he went for a Kusarigama. “You’ve grabbed a very complex weapon son, it’ll take a while to master. You are supposed to use the weight and the chain to restrict the enemies movements and follow up with a blow using the sickle. The Kusarigama takes a lot of fluidity and skill, more so than even the sword.” Sasuke said. “Hand it to me, let me show you how it’s done.” Sasuke said. Akira handed his father the Kusarigana and Sasuke launched the chain at his son’s legs, tripping him up and then covering the distance quickly and placing the sickle to his son’s neck. “It’s a complicated weapon, but it isn’t used by many people, and a lot of people don’t know how to counter it. It complements the Sharingan well, as you’ll be able to predict your opponent's movements.” Sasuke said._

 

“ _I think I’ll take this one then. I’ll master the Kusarigama and make it my personal weapon.” Akira smirked, clutching the sickle and chain. “Sarada, Natsuo, have any of you found anything you like?” Sasuke looked over to his children. Natsuo held a Gunbai in his hand that was similar to the one that Sasuke had on his back. “You use this weapon don’t you dad?” Natsuo asked. “Yes, this is a traditional Uchiha weapon, it’s a gunbai. It has the ability to reflect enemy attacks. You can also use it as a bludgeon. I have some experience with this one, I can show you how to use it.” Sasuke assured his son. “Yeah, I want it then, it’s pretty cool!” Natsuo said. Last was Sarada, she’d gone through a bunch of weapons but nothing seemed right to her. “Sarada, I see you’ve been having trouble.” Sasuke said. “None of these weapons click with me. I’ve always been more comfortable with just using shuriken.” Sarada said. “But I don’t want to have gone all this way for nothing, I want something that suits me as well.” Sarada said. “You haven’t come here for no reason, you know the weapon you’re suited to, it’s shuriken. They aren’t flashy, but they get the job done.” Sasuke said._

 

“ _Nekobaa, we’re ready to purchase our weapons. Akira, Natsuo, c’mere.” Sasuke said. Akira and Natuso stopped trying out their weapons and walked over to their father. “So the Kusarigama and Gunbai. It’s the same rate as normal, we haven’t changed it.” Nekobaa said. Sasuke reached into his wallet and handed her some bills. “Pleasure doing business with you, bring your little kittens back anytime.” she smiled._

 

Sasuke walked into his daughter’s room, Sarada. She looked just like Sasuke, but her attitude reflected her mother’s. She had a strong temper, but she was kindhearted, polite and brave. She was a stickler though, she was very strict to policy. When Sasuke walked in her room, Sarada was already dressed and awake. She wore a sleeveless red dress with white accents and lilac-colored shorts. “Morning, Papa.” she said. “Good morning Sarada, you want to come with me to wake up your brothers?” Sasuke asked. “Yes, you’ll need my help if you want to wake Natsuo up.” she said. She wasn’t wrong, Natsuo was a deep sleeper, he’d once slept through an entire thunderstorm. Sasuke walked over to Akira’s room and he was sleeping lightly. Sasuke walked up to his son and tapped his shoulder and Akiro was up, he was always a light sleeper. “Get dressed, mom made breakfast.” Sasuke said. “Alright dad, I’ll be there in five minutes” Akiro said. Sasuke and Sarada walked over to Natuo’s room. Natsuo was snoring loudly. “Alright dad, how do you want to do this?” Sarada asked. “Find something loud and put it next to his ears.” Sasuke said. Sarada found Natsuo’s alarm and let it ring on maximum volume right next to his ear and he didn’t budge, he’d kept snoring. Sasuke lifted his son up by his ankles and shook him roughly.

 

“W-Wha?” he said as he opened his eyes. “Get up, you don’t want to be late to the academy, mom made breakfast, get dressed and come out.” Sasuke said. “Alright dad, I’ll be out soon.” Natsuo said and Sasuke flipped him right side up and placed him back on the ground. Sasuke went back to the kitchen and Sarada sat down. “They’ll be out of their rooms in five minutes.” Sasuke said. Five minutes later, Akira walked out of his room. He had on a short sleeve blue shirt with a high-collar with the Uchiha symbol on the back. He’d had on tan shorts as well. “Good morning mom.” he said. “Morning Akira, you hungry?” she asked. “Yeah, but I’ll wait for Natsuo so we can all eat together.” Akira said. Natsuo walked out of his room next. He had on an outfit similar to Akira’s but he had on a long sleeve shirt. He yawned as he came into the kitchen. “Let’s eat!” he said. “We were waiting on you.” Sarada scolded.

 

Sasuke ate together with his family and spoke to his children about the Academy. “Sarada, Akira, are you both ready to graduate?” Sasuke asked them. “It’s about time, the Academy is boring, I’m ready to become a ninja already.” Akira said. “I’m ready as well.” Sarada said. “Natsuo, after today you’ll be one year closer to graduation.” Sasuke said to his youngest son. “I know, I can’t wait to graduate either, I’ll be stuck in the academy while my siblings are ninja, it sucks. I don’t want to fall behind Sarada and Akira.” he said. “Don’t worry, the ninja world will still be there for you, you’ll have all the opportunities that your brother and sister have, they just were born before you, that’s all.” Sakura encouraged. She had a soft spot for her youngest son, he was the most thoughtful of her children and he’d inherited her pink hair. “I’ll still become the Police Chief like Dad! I won’t let them beat me to that.” Natsuo said. Yasuo laughed “Pshh, Police Chief? You can have that little brother. I’m going to be the _Hokage_! I’ll be the first Uchiha Hokage.” Akira exclaimed. “As if I’d let _you_ become the Hokage. I’m going to be the Hokage, not you.” Sarada said. She wouldn’t allow her brother anything, they had a fierce rivalry. Anything Akira could do, Sarada wanted to do it and be even better than he was.

 

“I’ll walk you all to the academy, I have enough time before work.” Sasuke said. “Okay, let me finish my breakfast.” Akira said, annihilating his eggs and sausages. He cleaned his plate and washed it in the sink. “I’m ready.” he said. “Is everyone else ready?” Sakura asked. “Yes.” Sarada and Natsuo said. “Alright, go with your father, but remember to come straight home from school, your father has something he wants to talk to you all about.” Sakura said. “Alright, I’ll make sure the both of them come straight back.” Sarada said. “I’ll see you later Sakura.” Sasuke said as he walked out of the door with his children. They walked to the academy and Sasuke walked his youngest son to his classroom first. “Bye dad, see you later!” Natsuo said. Sasuke waved and he walked to the next classroom with his eldest children. He walked into their classroom and they took their seats, both of them sitting next to Boruto, the son of Naruto. Soon as Boruto saw them he smirked, then he looked down to Sasuke. “Uncle Sasuke! Can I come over to the compound to train with Sarada and Yasuo?” he asked. “You can come over later today, but not straight after school, I have something to speak to them about.” Sasuke said. He and Naruto’s family were pretty close. Sarada and Yasuo were good friends with Boruto and Himawari and Natsuo were friends as well. They both spent time at each other’s homes.

 

Shino, who was in the front of the classroom turned his attention to Sasuke. “When can I get you to come to be a guest speaker for the younger academy students? They love having the police chief teach them about ninjutsu.” Shino said. “Call me Shino, I’ll give you a time that’s good for me.” Sasuke said. Sasuke then waved at his kids and said “Good luck!” he then made a handsigns and disappeared. Sasuke went to work at the Konoha Military Police Force. The force had grown from just a few members to having dozens of officers. Sasuke recruited officers from strong clans, but he also recruits outstanding shinobi that aren’t from clans as well. He had a member from almost all of the major clans of Konoha. His older members such as Neji, Kiba, Lee and Arai became known as heroes throughout Konoha, they’d prevented various threats to Konoha and they had been known to have destroyed the meteors that had threatened Konoha. Sasuke was dealing with more applications for the force than he knew what to deal with, everyone wanted to be apart of the police force that seemed to be filled with strong ninja. Sasuke had to raise the bar for members that he would accept, he required them to be a Chunin or above with two years of experience out of the academy. The Konoha Military Police Force had grown to overshadow the Anbu Black Ops, and they had went back to their roots of just their original operations of assassinations and other darker missions, this was partly because Naruto had given an increased amount of responsibilities to the force, and because of Sasuke’s general fame.

 

Sasuke hardly had to go out into the field himself, he focused on training and developing his officers as well as recruiting. He only had to go out into the field for unprecedented threats, like the Otsutsuki Clan, which Naruto had him investigating. Sasuke had been exploring Kaguya’s dimensions by using his space-time ninjutsu tied to his Rinnegan that allowed him to traverse multiple dimensions. He was looking for evidence of other members of the Otsutsuki Clan, and to see if they posed any threats. He was also investigating what Kaguya’s plans for earth was. When Sasuke walked into the HQ of the Konoha Military Police Force all of his officers were occupied, taking calls and deploying themselves onto the field. Neji was the first one who noticed him, and he smiled at Sasuke from his desk, he couldn’t talk as he was taking a call. Sasuke went to the training facilities, he was supposed to be helping train one of their newest recruits a member of the Nara clan, Shikai Nara. Sasuke found Shikai in the training facility, waiting for Sasuke. Sasuke opened the door and he turned around. Shikai had similar features to all of the other members of the Nara clan, a difference is that he had curly black hair pulled back into a ponytail and an angular face. He also had the high intelligence that most members of the Nara clan seemed to exhibit.

 

“Chief, you’re the one training me?” he asked. Sasuke frowned, he’d thought that they’d informed him who’d he be training with. “Yes, I’m the one training you. Didn’t Kiba tell you that?” Sasuke asked. “He told me that I would be training, but not with who, if I knew it were you I would’ve prepared much harder.” Shikai said. “Don’t worry, you’re already in, I’m just going to be helping you become better. We’re going to spar.” Sasuke said. Shikai got into a fighting stance. “Good, I won’t be using my Sharingan to make it fairer to you.” Sasuke said. He then lunged at Sasuke, stepping forward and punching with his right hand. Sasuke, without even having his Sharingan activated, let the punch go over his shoulder and he grabbed him and used his own body weight to flip him onto the ground. Sasuke then began pulling his arm, enough to make it hurt, but not enough to break it. “That happened to be the move I was planning to teach you.” Sasuke said. “How did you predict my movements without using the Sharingan?” Shikai asked, looking confused. “You put all of your weight into your left foot, you telegraphed your attack and that’s why I was able to predict your attack, one doesn’t need a Sharingan to do that.” Sasuke said dryly as he let him go.

 

Shikai stretched his arm and got up. “Let me try that again.” he said as he threw a flash bomb under Sasuke’s feet. It exploded and a huge burst of light distracted Sasuke. Shikai disappeared into the shadows and dashed to each corner of the room, leaving a pool of shadows, he then shot out from a pool of shadows on the ceiling. Sasuke orientated himself quickly and dodged Shikai’s fist that was launching at him from above, he then grabbed his arm and flung him downward to the ground, he then placed his knee on his chest. “I knew you would get me that time, take this!” he said as shadowy tendrils shot out from the pools of shadows that he’d left on the corners of the room. “Shadow Sewing Jutsu!” he said as the shadows bound Sasuke’s arms and legs and pulled him away from Shikai. Shikai stood up and smirked. “I got you.” he said. Sasuke himself smirked. “Do you?” he said as he swiftly activated his Rinnegan and switched places with Shikai. “Nice try Shikai. I’ve seen enough for now, and I demonstrated the moves I wanted to show you, the move that I used on you when you dashed at me from the ceiling is another restraint, practice it. When you leave from the training facility, send in the next guy.” Sasuke said. “As expected from Chief.” Shikai smiled as he released his jutsu and walked from the room.

 

When Sasuke finished training the rest of the people he had to train he finished up for the day and went back to his home to wait for his children. Today was the day he decided to tell his children about the Uchiha Massacre, they hadn’t known about it yet. He didn’t know how they would take it, so that’s why he chose to tell them after the academy, not before so it wouldn’t ruin their performance. He waited for his children in the master bedroom, the same place where his parents were slain by Itachi. Of course the room wasn’t the same, it was renovated by Inari years ago, he’d gotten rid of all the blood-stains and had replaced all the tiles in the room. When his children walked home, Sakura told them where to find their father and all of them took their shoes off and walked in the room and sat in front of their father. Sasuke noticed the Konoha headbands on the foreheads of Akira and Sarada and his pride soared, but he calmed, he’d have to tell them the darkest part of the history of the Uchiha Clan. They didn’t ask any questions as they usually would as they saw the look on their father’s face, they knew he was serious about whatever he was going to talk to them about.

 

“Twenty years ago, the Uchiha Clan was slaughtered by Itachi Uchiha, my brother. I was the only survivor. In this very room, I watched my mother and father die at the hands of my own brother. I was the only survivor, the Uchiha compound used to be filled with hundreds of Uchiha, and in one night, I was all alone. Natsuo, I was younger than you, I was only seven years old when I watched my parents die.” Sasuke said. He saw mixed reactions in his children’s eyes. Akira was angry, Sarada was sad, and Natsuo was fearful. “Why did Itachi kill the Uchiha Clan?” Akira asked angrily. “The Uchiha Clan was going to go to war with Konoha, my father, Fugaku Uchiha didn’t like how the Uchiha Clan was being treated. He wanted to overthrow the Hokage and take over Konoha. Itachi sided with Konoha to prevent a civil war, he took on the burden of annihilating every member of the Uchiha Clan, but he didn’t, he couldn’t kill me.” Sasuke said. “So he chose the _village_ over his own family? Why would he do that?” Akira asked. “Itachi felt like he was a Konoha ninja over being a member of the Uchiha Clan. He wanted to prevent a war, if Konoha and the Uchiha Clan fought, the Uchiha would’ve been annihilated anyways, and it would open Konoha to attack. I’m not saying he was right, but I’m telling you what happened, so you’ll understand.” Sasuke said.

 

“So what happened to Uncle Itachi after?” Sarada asked. “He went on the run, and I devoted my life to killing Itachi, my own brother. I didn’t know why he did it, I just knew he’d killed my family, and I wanted to avenge them. I dedicated my entire life to killing Itachi, and once I did… I felt relieved at first, until I learned why he’d did what he did.” Sasuke explained. “So you killed Uncle Itachi?” Natsuo asked, Sasuke nodded. “I’m telling you all this primarily so you all understand what happened to our clan, and why it’s so important that we rebuild it, but also, so you know that revenge isn’t the way. I dedicated my entire life to it, and I realized that it wasn’t worth it in the end, I had killed my brother, and he could’ve lived to see his niece and nephews today. I’ll live with that for the rest of my life, and I want to save you all from that same fate. So never get caught up in revenge, hatred is the fatal flaw of the Uchiha, and it drives someone to do unspeakable things.” Sasuke said, looking at his children.  


“I expect you all to be better than me, I don’t want any of you to make the same mistakes I have, that’s what having parents are for. Sarada, Akira, I’m proud of you both for graduating, Natsuo, I know you’ll be next, I’m just as proud of you too.” Sasuke said. “Boruto will be over soon, I did allow him to come over today after I finished speaking to you all, go prepare for his arrival, go clean up the training area.” Sasuke said. All three of his children stood up and obeyed their father’s orders. Twenty minutes later, Boruto came and they all trained together, Sasuke went to go talk to Sakura. He found her in the kitchen, preparing a meal. She looked at him with understanding as she knew what he spoke about with them. “How did they take it?” she asked. “Akira seemed a little angry. Sarada was sad and Natsuo was a little scared. I hope they never have to live through the things I have.” Sasuke said. “They won’t.” Sakura replied. “Can you believe our eldest two children are ninja now? It makes me feel old.” Sakura said. “It’s cause we _are_ old.” Sasuke replied, earning a scowl from Sakura. The next day their eldest children went back to the academy to be assigned to teams. “Team 7” Shino began. “Akira Uchiha, Boruto Uzumaki, Sarada Uchiha!” he said. “Your Jonin Sensei is Konohamaru Sarutobi!” Shino said. A new legend would begin as the children of the original Team 7 began their own journey as ninja. Their parent’s all accomplished their own dreams and now it was time for their children to live out their own dreams and to influence the world in their own unique ways. A new age is here!

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be the last chapter of Naruto: A Different Path for the foreseeable future. I'm thankful for my readers who've watched Sasuke go from a vengeful character to someone who's fully capable of bringing back the Konoha Military Police Force and becoming the leader of the Uchiha Clan. 
> 
> Always,  
> \---Ruumi


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